


Edge of Dawn

by virberos



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Character POV of Events, Child Abuse in Chapter 18, Explicit Language, Found Family Drama, Gen, Mostly Canon Compliant, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:21:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 68,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23012419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virberos/pseuds/virberos
Summary: “We’re family, Dante. And no matter what, family sticks together.”A retelling of the story of Devil May Cry 5 through the eyes of Cassandra Sagefire, a fellow Devil Hunter of Devil May Cry.
Kudos: 29





	1. The Wild Rose

The midnight sky stretched wide above the forest, the near-endless sea of stars shining a faint light onto the forest below. The muggy summer heat had long since passed for the evening cool, following the sun when it dipped below the horizon. The tree leaves shifted above the forest floor, the hint of a sway making their shadows shiver. Upon the forest floor, the grass overgrow a hiking trail, tiny white wildflowers sprouted from the sides of the path. It had once been visited by humans, to see the wonders of the natural world, but now no more. 

Except for one. 

A woman, her blonde hair hovering just past her jaw, walked along the path. By her side was an orb of light, about the size of an apple, illuminating the area around her. The whispering breeze gently caressed the white leather of her shrug and skirt, the grass shaking from an invisible feather-light touch. As she walked, the dirt beneath her boots shifted for the first time in what could have been years since the last time humans walked upon the overgrown path. 

A sudden movement, from the corner of her eye, caught her attention. Red eyes stared back for a brief moment before disappearing into the undergrowth. 

“Bingo.” She whispered, moments before the eyes attacked. She dodged out of the way and began to run, her assailant revealing itself to be a giant two-headed snake, eyes of scarlet shimmering with hunger and hatred. As she raced up the hiking trail, the demonic serpent’s twin heads snapped at her heels. As the path opened up into a small clearing, littered with ruined picnic tables, she leapt into the air to avoid a final strike. She landed and rolled, giving herself distance between her and the demon. The demon let out a hiss, it’s four eyes glowering at the devil hunter.

“You’re quicker on your feet than you look, daughter of sage.” One of the heads hissed. 

“Quicker than your saintly ancestor.” The other added, a hint of disdain in its voice. 

“I’m the best Sagefire to ever live, thank you very much.” She laughed. “But I’m the only one that’s been trained by the son of Sparda, so I guess that automatically makes me the best.” The huntress bowed, dodging a tail whip by chance. “Don’t mix me up with Deirdre, the name’s Cassandra.” 

“Sparda!?” The two heads hissed. “You speak of the mongrel, Dante.” 

“Yikes.” Cassandra shrugged, deftly avoiding another whip of the demon’s tail. “So mean to him. Jealous?” 

“Jealous? JEALOUS?” The left head roared. 

“Jealous of a mongrel, you imply?” The right snapped. 

“Sounds like it to me!” She quickly rolled out of the way of a bite. “Considering that reaction!” She rolled out of the way of another bite. “Dante beat Mundus’ ass, didn’t he?” 

“Perhaps…” The right head mulled over her words. “But Mundus is nothing but a memory now, no thanks to him!” The demon snapped at her again, barely missing her shrug. Cassandra summoned a rapier, a blue and silver creation made by divine hands, and sliced into the scales of the demon. It let out an enraged hiss as black blood splattered onto the grass. 

“Wretch!” The left head howled out in pain. Cassandra leapt up, dodging the left head’s lunge and landing atop it. She impaled the rapier into its eye, causing the demon to scream. The right head lunged forward, trying to get her. She ripped out the rapier and slid down the spine of the demon, causing the right head to bite into the left head. The left head of the demon wailed in agony after the right head let go. While the left head recovered from the bite, the right followed Cassandra with a smoldering ember-red gaze. As Cassandra rounded to the tail, the demon shot forward to bite. Cassandra backflipped away from the thrust, causing the demon to bite its own tail. 

“Guess you live up to your name after all, Ouroboros!” Cassandra laughed before jumping forward to land on the right head, hissing in surprise. She dug the rapier into its spine. “It’s over!” She twisted the rapier, the blade digging deeper into the spine before a slick crack reverberated throughout the clearing. The twin heads fell to the ground, black blood surging all over the clearing. The demon wheezed out it’s death rattle, the grass stained black with its shed lifeforce. And yet, even in its final moments, the twin heads of the demon hissed out a laugh. 

“Such...impudence…” 

“Says a dying demon.” Cassandra pointed out, rapier still out. Despite being slick with demon blood, it still shimmered in the faint starlight. 

“Do you think you can stop the Great Usurper?” Ouroboros’ twin heads hissed in unison. Four ruby-hued eyes, flickering with the last few moments of life, focused on the spellblade warrior. “He who surpasses the mighty Mundus?” 

“The fuck you’re on about?” Cassandra breathed, narrowing her eyes at the dying demon. It let out another laugh.

“You will see...soon enough, you who call yourself the wild rose. And when you do, your precious…Earthmother cannot save humankind. Savor...your last moments of freedom...and the rise...of a glorious...demon...empire...” As it breathed its last, the body of the demon began to decay before her eyes. As it rapidly deteriorated before her eyes into ash, it left behind a single golden band of a two-headed snake warring for the flesh of its tail. In Cassandra’s heart, a sense of unease bloomed where triumph was supposed to be. What did Ouroboros mean by the Great Usurper? It must mean another demon, clearly one who was on-par with or even greater than Mundus. Mundus’ powers were only spoken of in legend, in texts that were hundreds if not thousands of years old. She heard nothing of Mundus raising an heir to take his throne and she had enough knowledge of demons to presume that Mundus wouldn’t do such a thing because it threatened his status as Ruler of the Underworld. 

Cassandra let out a heavy sigh. She would gain nothing by standing here, surrounded by the blood and gore of Ouroboros. She knelt down and picked up the band, sensing nothing more than a lingering demonic power. It wasn’t on par with a Devil Arm, her hand didn’t burn at the touch, so it was merely a trophy of her conquest over the demon. Despite this trophy, she still did not feel like celebrating, not with the demon’s last words weighing heavily on her mind. She glanced up around the clearing, noticing the picnic tables in a far worse state of repair than when she first arrived. She frowned and pocketed the bangle.

_ ‘I’m just going to say that the demon destroyed them when I arrived…’ _ She thought, turning around. She began to walk back down the path, leaving the stench of demonic remains behind. Cassandra’s mind was heavy from the demon’s words and their meaning. If, just if, Mundus had a demon heir, why now did it decide to attack? What of Dante and Nero? Nero had just lost his arm to a strange demon, who promptly used some sort of demonic magic to get away before anyone could stop it. She remembered visiting Nero in hospital, seeing his still slumbering form…

_ The hospital room in Fortuna was small and plain, a cozy room despite the size. The pale wood and beige walls were simple in a sort of utilitarian manner, but paradoxically, it worked. The large window against the wall held a commanding view of the town of Fortuna, still recovering from the scars of the Fortuna Incident. White curtains fluttered in the faint breeze, bringing with it the scent of sea salt and warm bread. On the nightstand was an untouched glass for water and fresh bandages to change whatever wound the patient was suffering. Cassandra stood in the door, staring at Kyrie and the comatose Nero. She had heard the news from Kyrie, who had called Devil May Cry to tell them what happened.  _

_ A stranger, a demon most likely, had ripped Nero’s forearm clean off his body. The Devil Bringer was no more, stolen from Nero by the demon. Since that day, Nero had been comatose, only stirring when Kyrie sung before slipping back into his coma.  _

_ In Cassandra’s arms was a small bouquet of sunflowers and dahlias, something she impulsively bought to bring to Nero. She stood there quietly in the doorway, listening to Kyrie sing softly. She had heard that, before the Fortuna Incident, Kyrie was employed by the Order of the Sword as a songstress. When she had visited Fortuna, well before this day, she had bonded with the young woman over their shared skill of song. Even now, Kyrie had a beautiful voice. She could feel the worry in her voice and the conviction to keep going, despite the fears and worries of when Nero would wake up, if at all. When Kyrie finished her song, she looked to Cassandra with a tired smile. _

_ “Kyrie.” Cassandra smiled at her, trying to be warm and hide the whirlpool of worry in her own heart. Nero was like a son to her and she was certain she was worrying just as much as Kyrie was. She stepped into the room, handing the flowers to her. “No sign of awakening?” _

_ “No...not yet.” Kyrie shook her head. Cassandra looked to Nero, not wanting to meet Kyrie’s gaze in the moment. “Where’s Dante? I thought he was coming. He sounded worried when I talked to him.” _

_ “Dante? Sorry...he’s still at Red Grave City. He gave me the money for the flowers though.” A lie, not that Kyrie needed to know it was a lie. Dante was in one of his dour moods, an occasion that was happening more frequently. It didn’t help that, once again, he waived payment for a job. This waiving of payment meant that Devil May Cry would be without power and water until the bills were paid. As much as this state of affairs worried Cassandra, the job she was taking had quite the lucrative payout, enough to hopefully keep the lights on and the toilets flushing at Devil May Cry for a few more months until Dante wasn’t in that dour mood anymore. Kyrie nodded, taking this explanation in stride, and took the bouquet.  _

_ “It’s lovely. Thank you.” She sighed. Cassandra could tell she was exhausted.  _

_ “Kyrie...I know you’re worried about him and all, but please don’t run yourself ragged. He’ll wake up. I know he will.” She looked back to the incapacitated devil hunter. “And you looking all exhausted is gonna worry him senseless.” As if Nero didn’t need more worrying. As if  _ _ she _ _ didn’t need more worrying. Mentally shaking that selfishness aside, she looked to Kyrie. “I wish I could stay longer, but I have a mission in Wales. There’s a big two-headed snake demon terrorizing a local forest and I’ve been called to take care of it. I wish you well, Kyrie.”  _

_ “Thank you, for visiting. I know it’s on short notice and all-” _

_ “It’s alright Kyrie. Anyone who works at Devil May Cry is family to me. Nero’s like a son to me, of course I’d visit.” She smiled. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself?”  _

_ “I will.”  _

Cassandra found herself at the bottom of the trail, leading back to the small town that she was staying at. She ran a hand through her hair, making a beeline to the town’s tiny inn. She needed a shower, ASAP, and maybe a stiff one at the local pub. She walked into the inn, ignoring the clerk at the front desk and his very worried face (being covered in dirt, grime, and demon blood would do that to anyone), went up the stairs to her room. She promptly entered the room, a small plain room. There was a bed with white and green sheets, a desk and matching chair, and a rather old TV (a CRT, if she was correct). She didn’t need much nor would she ask for it. She locked the room’s door behind her and stripped as she made her way to the shower. 

She didn’t even mind the ice cold water that greeted her. Anything was good enough to get the demon blood off her, to try and drown the memory of the dying words of the Ouroboros.

After drying off and redressing, she heard a knock on the door. Running a hand through her still damp hair, she opened the door to see the client in question: a representative of the towns that had banded together to hire her in the first place. The man was short, Cassandra was reminded of a mouse as he stood there in the hallway, with black hair and blue eyes that betrayed nervousness. 

“I-Is the demon dead?”

“Yep. Won’t bother anyone anymore.” 

“S-Splendid!” He handed her a small briefcase, decorated in green leather and ornate white carvings. “Thank you so much!” He bowed before scurrying away. Cassandra blinked in suspicion, taking the case and opening it. Inside the case was hundreds of paper bills, each one appearing authentic. As much as she wanted to believe him, his stuttering roused suspicion in her. 

_ ‘I’ll ask Lady about it. If anything, I can get a little money for my work through that strange bangle the demon left behind.’ _ Cassandra thought, closing the case.  _ ‘For now, Earthmother help me I need a drink.’  _ She slid the case under the bed to hide it before leaving the room, locking the door behind her. She made her way down back to the streets of the town to the local pub, entering the dimly lit establishment. She walked to the bar and sat down, swiftly pulling out her ID. 

“A whiskey. Finest pint you got.” 

“Lady knows what she wants, eh.” The bartender, an aged man from all appearances, chuckled at her blunt order. 

“Let’s just say I’ve had a very long night.” She replied dryly. “Girl’s gotta reward herself for a job well done.” 

“Ah. You’re the devil hunter then?” He asked as he began to pour the pint. She put away her ID and pulled out a couple twenty paper bills. 

“One and only.” She said, placing the bills on the counter. He took the bills and pulled out a pen, she knew it was something commonplace to use against large bills to make sure they weren’t counterfeit. A moment later, the pint was placed on the table. Cassandra took the pint, her gaze moving to the TV that was on. She was about to take a drink when a strange sight caught her eyes.

A great tree, looming over a city. She frowned, placing the pint back on the bar. 

“Is that…”

“Ugh, not this again.” The bartender rolled his eyes.

“Don’t touch that remote!” She snarled. The bartender held up his hands, unexpecting her sudden snarl. Cassandra refocused her attention on the TV, a news story from the looks of it. 

_ Red Grave and its surrounding cities have ceased to function as a result of a mysterious tree that apparently attacked the city approximately one month ago. Religious groups are calling the arrival of this mysterious plant as a sign of apocalypse to weed out those unworthy of their respective afterlives. The Red Grave Special Forces Units have come and gone through the remains of Red Grave City in search of survivors. _

Cassandra could only stare at the TV, time seemingly stopped around her as the image showed the strange tree from safe distances. Her heart was ramming in her head, followed by worry and fears. Finally, her mind snapped back to reality. 

“Dante!” She snapped, leaping out of her chair. She ignored the yells of the bartender and the ignored pint of whiskey that remained on the bar. She ran back to the inn, back to her room, and grabbed her bags. One bag was a bag of medical supplies, she was only human despite the innate link to the Earthfaith, and the other the payment for the job. She threw on her motorcycle helmet, fastening it to her head as she rushed out of the room. As she passed the parlor of the inn, she threw the room key at the clerk.

“M-Miss! Are you leaving so soon-”

“My brother’s in Red Grave City.” Cassandra snapped. “And I’m getting his ass back in the goddamn fight.” She walked out the door, to her motorcycle, and tossed her bags in the side carriages. Straddling the motorcycle, she turned the ignition to make the one-man vehicle roar to life. Kicking the stand, she rode out of the town and down worn roads, following the path she took back to Red Grave City. 

_ ‘Hold on Dante. I’m coming!’ _


	2. Meeting the Mysterious One

_ June 8th, 4:36am _

Cassandra’s thoughts were racing as fast as the motorcycle could ride, the world whizzing by her. The highway was abandoned, littered with cars that had been picked clean of anything useful. They sped by her, illuminated only briefly by the light of her motorcycle. The sky was black, not a star able to shine in the murky haze that lingered above Red Grave City. She glanced up, seeing the demon tree that loomed over the city like a looming catastrophe (wasn’t it, in a sense?). Returning her gaze to the street, she noticed the deep green vines that coiled around the tallest buildings of the city, far larger than any car here. Some of the windows still had lights in them, electricity was obviously still on in the city, nobody had bothered to turn off the power in the panic to flee from the demonic tree. 

When was the last time she slept?

She shook the sleepiness, clinging to her like unwanted cobwebs. She needed to keep going, fueled only by bitter black coffee and anxiety over the fate of Dante. Not just him, but of Lady and Trish. Before she left, she had touched base with the two about Dante’s condition (given his dour mood at the time) and they were indeed in Red Grave City, but now she wasn’t sure if they were plant food or if they were surviving on their own.

She hoped they were. She had no idea how she could handle this mess on her own. 

Zipping off the freeway down an offramp, she noted the lack of traffic. It was as if the very city was abandoned, either from death or panic. The grim thought was tossed aside as she raced around familiar corners and past crumbling skyscrapers, LCD screens cracked and casting their flickering light onto the streets below. The motorcycle sped down the darker streets, down paths that were off the lit and normally busy roads, until she slowed to a stop in front of a familiar shop.

Devil May Cry.

She looked up, relieved to see the shop unharmed from the destruction all around her. Turning off the motorcycle, she kicked out the kickstand and got off the vehicle. She rushed to the door, finding it locked. Probably Lady or Morrison. She took out the key and unlocked the door, rushing inside. She looked around, seeing the place lit but not much more. The jukebox was silent, adding to the sense of unease that permeated the air that was already thick with ruin. She went back to her motorcycle, pulling out her bags to take into her bedroom. She made her way up the stairs, opened the door, and threw the bags onto the bed. She closed the door and walked to Dante’s room, flopping onto his bed. She closed her eyes, her arms taking one of his pillows and holding it close. She had all intentions to nap for just a couple hours, just until she had the strength to get up and find her idiot brother.

And tell him how much she missed him. 

* * *

_ June 8th, 10:15am _

The light of late morning peered through the windows, the curtains fluttering gently in the breeze that awoke her. She blinked awake, her head lifting up to see the world outside the shop. For a moment, she thought about asking where Dante was before the memories came back to her. She sat up, running a hand through her hair. 

“Dante…” She murmured before slowly getting up. She would gain nothing from staying at Devil May Cry, nothing from just pining. She rolled the sleep out of her shoulders and cracked her knuckles as she made her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Looking up, she half-expected to see Lady or Trish or anyone that she recognized in the main room. Her heart sank when she saw the empty space. She strode to the desk and replugged the cord back into the old phone box (why had it been pulled out? Did some poor marketer piss Dante off that badly?). She pulled the phone off it’s cradle and dialed the number for Kyrie’s home in Fortuna, the clicks of the dial being the only noise in the shop for a brief moment in time. She held the phone to her ear, waiting for the ring tone. 

Silence. 

“Fuck!” She growled, putting the phone back down. “Nothing...ugh.” She ran her hands through her hair. “I hope they’re ok…” She mumbled, staying there for a few moments to quietly plan her next move. 

_ ‘I’m all alone in Red Grave City. The phone’s dead, at least here, and there’s demons everywhere because it stinks like shit and blood.’ _ She thought, placing her face in her hands.  _ ‘I have no idea where Lady and Trish are and now I really hate how hard they are to reach on a good day.’ _ She leaned back in the chair, letting out a sigh before finally getting up. She couldn’t just stay here in Devil May Cry and ignore the demonic tree that loomed over the city. She was certain that someone (most likely Dante) would scold her about it. She strode to the door, turned off the lights, and unlocked it. She took one final glance at the shop, lingering in the doorway, before closing the door behind her. She locked the door and went to her motorcycle, getting on the vehicle and kicking up the kickstand. Pushing the key into the ignition, she turned and let the motorcycle roar to life. 

She had to keep moving, keep looking forward. With that mantra in her head, she rode off back into the streets of Red Grave City. As she rode, her eyes flicked around for any sign of rocket launchers or electric blasts, the tell-tale signs of Lady or Trish brawling some demon. The streets remained silent, except for the sound of her motorcycle racing through the lifeless city. She needed to find someone, anyone, to help her get to that demon tree, find Dante, and kick some demon ass (although not necessarily in that order). 

Speeding around the corner, she saw a small group of demons ahead of her. They weren’t demons she was familiar with, their insectoid bodies devouring the pool of blood at their feet. Lumbering nearby was a much larger demon, looking quite similar to them. She was reminded of ants before narrowing her eyes. Demons were still demons, and demons still had to be eradicated. Twisting the throttle, she sped forward and skid, knocking the smaller demons down and grinding their bodies into bloody smears. The larger demon whipped to her and hissed, opening its mandibles. The motorcycle whipped around, Cassandra and the demon staring each other down. The demon let out a snarl, opening its mandibles wide. Cassandra summoned a ball of sunlight in her hand and threw it into its mouth, the scent of seared demon flesh piercing the air followed by the demonic screeching. Cassandra twisted the throttle, the motorcycle shooting forward. The demon suddenly swerved, it’s abdomen slamming into the motorcycle. She cried out as she was thrown off the vehicle, thrown against the wall. 

“Fucking hell…” She groaned, landing on the dirty sidewalk. She struggled to hoist herself up, staring down the demon that was stalking towards her. She summoned Astra to her side, the rapier glimmering in the light as she slowly got up. A throbbing ache where her body met the wall slowed her down but she dared not pull away from the demon’s hungry gaze. Her other hand held her side, a deep warm glow forming. She hoped that her magic, the innate power of her bloodline, could buy her the time she needed to fight off the demon. 

“Slice them.” 

A strange voice snapped her from her thoughts. Racing past her, a jaguar with a night-black hide leapt into the demon. It turned into a spinning blade (perhaps a demon itself?) and sliced into the larger demon, causing it to scream out. Cassandra watched as a large bird swept in, diving into the demon and screaming out. She shook her head, the last of the ache fading away. Pulling back her hand, the jaguar leapt back and roared at the demon, now a faded purple color. Cassandra didn’t have to think twice about her next action, sprinting forward. She leapt up, Astra finding it’s mark in the heart of the larger demon. Her hand burned with sunlight, colliding face-first into the demon’s own face and burning the ashen skin. The demon roared out in agony, it’s body collapsing into dust. She leapt back, watching as it crumbled to nothingness. She leaned back against the wall, panting. 

“The fuck...was that demon?” She panted, mostly to herself.

“An Empusa Queen.” A silky voice spoke out, the same that (she presumed) ordered the demonic jaguar to attack. She looked to the side, watching as a young man stepped out from the alleyway. The first noticeable thing about him was the silver cane by his side and the tattoos that lined his chest and arms. His clothes, exposed black leather, reminded her of a punk. But this person, there was no way he could be so...punkish. His body was too frail for such a lifestyle. No, he didn’t look frail, he almost looked emaciated, a day away from death by starvation. He glanced to her, jade eyes regarding her quietly from behind ink black hair. She narrowed her eyes at him, catching the faint scent of blood around him. 

“Who are you?” She asked, her voice soft with wariness. He looked up, beyond her, before his jade-hued eyes returned to her. 

“Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine. Not that it answered my question.” She flicked up and down the stranger’s body. She glanced at the jaguar, stalking towards her. The large bird fluttered down next to the stranger, landing on his outstretched arm. Cassandra frowned, her sword hand shifting around Astra’s handle. He didn’t seem to be a threat, at least on his own, but his...allies? Familiars? Whatever they were, they seemed to be more than capable of fighting on their own. The stranger mulled over her question.

“You can call me V.” Well, that wasn’t quite a name, but if he just wanted to be V for now, she’d go for it. 

“V...alright then. I’m Cassandra Sagefire, of Devil May Cry. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” The briefest flicker of surprise crossed his features. Before he could reply, there was a deafening crash. She whipped around, watching as black roots burst out from a building a block down from them, causing glass and stone to crumble to the ground. 

“I believe safety is our priority.” He said, quickly giving her a firm look. “Follow me.” Cassandra let out a surprised noise but nodded, dismissing Astra as he led the way. The bird fluttered off his arm and flew behind them, the jaguar seemingly disappearing into V. Cassandra could only presume this V was more than he seemed. As he rushed around alleyways, she could faintly hear the sound of buildings crashing into the ground, leaving ruin in their wake. He turned again before stopping, holding out his cane. She skid to a halt, barely managing to not collide with his case. He opened a door in the wall, leading into what was once most likely an industrial building. Now, it was a temporary safe haven. He ushered her inside. 

The room she entered was covered with sigils, whether they were here earlier or V did them himself, she wasn’t sure. She did recognize them as demon-warding sigils, to deter the demons from coming into the safe haven that was etched out here. On the floor was a box full of canned food and some blankets. She could tell that they were makeshift beds, the place a temporary home until someone found them to guide them the rest of the way to safety outside of Red Grave City. V closed the door behind her, the huntress taking a seat on one of the makeshift beds. Resummoning her rapier, she pulled out a cleaning cloth from her skirt pocket and began to polish the divine blade. She was acutely aware of V’s gaze on her and her unsaid threat, the blade shimmering in the lamp light above them. Finally, after a few minutes, a new voice spoke.

“Jeez, you really gotta throw that down, after we saved your life?” She whipped her head up, to the bird now sitting across from her. She glanced to V, who was quietly reading a book with the letter V emblazoned on it, then back to the bird.

“You...talk?”

“Of course I do!” The bird puffed up his feathers. 

“Oh great, the demons learned parrots exist. We’re doomed.” Cassandra rolled her eyes. The bird let out a squawk.

“EXCUSE ME!? I am better than any parrot you’ve met, thank you very much!” 

“Dare I ask if you want a cracker?” Cassandra narrowed her eyes at the bird. The bird visibly bristled, the air suddenly humming with static electricity. 

“Why you...ack!” And just like that, he was gone. She blinked, feeling the static electricity disappear. She looked to V, noticing his shaking hand put away the book. 

“I would...advise against antagonising others.” He said, voice soft with a hint of scolding. “There is no room for antagonism, with the demons everywhere.” She looked down at Astra before sighing, dismissing the rapier. As much as she didn’t trust V, he did have a point. 

“Sorry...I’ve had a rough past couple of days. I just found out about this dumb houseplant that’s ripped Red Grave City apart, I can’t contact Dante or the others, and I’m running mostly on coffee and…” She paused. “Six hours of sleep. So, back to those demons...what were they?” 

“Empusas and an Empusa Queen. The Empusas are like ants, the lowest of demons.” 

“And the Queens are the biggest and baddest of them.” Cassandra finished. V nodded. “And where did these demons come from? That tree?” 

“The Qliphoth.” 

“The what now?” Cassandra tilted her head. 

“The Qliphoth. It’s a tree from the Underworld. It sustains itself on human blood...” 

“And lemme guess, the humans who get caught by it end up dead?” V nodded. “Fuck.” Cassandra grumbled. “So half of Red Grave is either dead or fled to somewhere safer-” 

“There will not be a safer place eventually.” Cassandra inhaled sharply at that. “Unless the master of the Qliphoth is slain.” 

  
“And that piece of work is named?”

“Urizen.” Cassandra hummed softly at that. Urizen...that name sounded familiar, from a book she read long ago. Was this Urizen the Grand Usurper Ouroboros mentioned? Given that the only thing she had seen so far were demons, she wondered if this demon was the Grand Usurper. Her hand slipped into her pocket, rubbing the bangle thoughtfully. 

“Urizen...I thought Dante would’ve taken care of him by now.” V let out a hum. 

“He tried. He did not succeed.” His words made her blood run cold. If Dante failed…

“What about Lady? Trish?” She demanded. V shook his head. “Dammit.” She slammed her fist against the ground. If they failed...then what could they do now? If she hadn’t taken that job, then perhaps they could’ve had a chance of defeating Urizen. And now Red Grave City was ripped apart by the Qliphoth tree, her family was missing, and she had no plan to try and solve this catastrophe.

“You should rest.” V’s words snapped her from her depressed reprieve. She looked up at him. “Considering your encounter with the demons, you need it.” 

“I hate that you’re right.” She grumbled, laying down on the makeshift bed. “You’re a devil hunter too, right?” 

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” 

“Hm. Then I suppose we’re allies for now.” She paused. “By the way...thank you for saving me from the Empusa Queen.” She noticed his smirk, although she wasn’t sure if it was from her apology or some unsaid joke. 

“You’re welcome.” With that, she curled up in the makeshift bed and slipped into an uneasy slumber. 


	3. Red Grave Special Forces Unit #21

_June 9th, 7:07 am_

“Wake up.” 

“I could zap her, ya know.” 

“I would rather not have her in a foul mood for the rest of the morning, Griffon.” 

“But it’d be hilarious!” 

“To you.” 

“Ok ok, I’m up!” Cassandra growled, kicking whatever was tapping at her ankle. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “What’s got the bird all pissy?” 

“I’m still upset that you called me a parrot!” The demon bird, Griffon was it?, gave out an indigent squawk. 

“Ok ok, I’m sorry, stop being so pissy and give me a minute.” She huffed. “What’s for breakfast?” 

“Canned sausage.” V’s cane pointed to the can sitting next to where her head was. She sighed and opened the can. “I can only presume you slept well.” 

“What makes you say that?”

“It’s the ninth of June.” V explained, slowly sitting down on the other makeshift bed. Cassandra heard a soft woosh and noticed Griffon was gone, with but a wisp of demonic energy clinging to V. She let out a soft hum before she began to eat the sausage, wincing at the spicy taste. The lack of windows in the safe haven made it difficult to tell whether it was morning or not but it was intentional so that the demons didn’t have an easy way inside. Cassandra glanced up to V, who had begun to read that ornate book.

“What’s in the book?” She asked. “Must be pretty important if you keep that around you at all times.” V glanced back to her before looking to the contents of the book. He began to read aloud.

_Awake the dawn that sleeps in heaven; let light_

_Rise from the chambers of the east, and bring_

_The honey'd dew that cometh on waking day._

“A book of poetry...hm.” Cassandra nodded. “You have a nice reading voice. Maybe after all this Qliphoth shit is over, you can make a living reading books. There’s a market for that.” 

“I’m flattered.” A faint smile crept onto V’s face. “But will we live that long to see the fall of the Qliphoth?”

“I plan to. And I’m gonna find Dante and Trish and Lady and we’re gonna beat Urizen to a pulp.” She slammed her fist into her hand, making sure to not spill her breakfast. V hummed softly at the thought, returning his gaze to his book while Cassandra finished her sausage. She set the can aside and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. 

“Alright V. You’ve been here longer than I have. What’s the plan?” He blinked at her directness before nodding. 

“We need to take care of the roots of the Qliphoth. They have a noticeable weakness, a clot of blood that stores what they have.” Cassandra frowned at the thought. “The rest of the roots are heavily protected, your rapier will do nothing to them.” 

“And neither will bullets, I pres-” 

“OPEN UP!” The shout made Cassandra jump to her feet, Astra snapping into reality and a hand outstretched and aglow with weaponized sunlight. The door burst open, Cassandra moving to shield her ally as best she could as three armored people, identities she couldn’t tell from the visors they wore, stormed into the safe haven. After a few tense minutes, the invaders relaxed.

“Jeez, ever learned to knock?” Cassandra huffed, glancing at their armor. She quickly noticed the identifying patch on their sleeve. “Red Grave Special Forces…” The glow of her hand dimmed to nothing at the sight of their identifying patch, her hand flexing for a moment before relaxing. 

“You have a problem with that?” The one she presumed as the leader huffed. She sighed and impaled Astra into the stone they were standing on. 

“Only a little, considering I thought me and my ally were the only people in the city.” She said, reaching down to help V to a standing position. V took her hand, allowing her to help him up. Cassandra turned to the group before them, leaning on Astra. “Cassandra Sagefire, of Devil May Cry. This is my partner, V.” 

“I’m Algernon.” One of them stepped forward, pulling off his visor to reveal a scarred face. “I lead this unit of Special Forces. 21st unit. Second in command is Lavern.” He pointed to her, a sprig of white hair coming out from her helmet. “Nylis is our medic.” He pointed to his other side, to a man close to the door. His medical patch, red with a white Caduceus staff emblazoned, stood out from his dark green and black gear. “Outside is Tate and Eleanore, our recon and explosives expert respectively.”

“Explosives?” V repeated, a soft confusion in his voice. Cassandra leaned back to him.

“Good for distractions. And looking cool. But mostly distractions.” She whispered to him. V smirked as Cassandra returned to face Algernon, who had flipped his visor back on . “So, you’re a bunch of military folk looking for survivors, I presume?” 

“We’re on our way out of the city, actually. We haven’t found survivors in days.” The news seemed to weigh heavily on their shoulders. Cassandra crossed her arms, biting her lower lip. 

“Ah...I see.” She glanced back to V, who was looking at the ground. “I can only hope that means as many people managed to escape the demon tree as they could.” A little hope was all she could offer for now. She returned her gaze to Algernon. “But we’re no survivors. Devil hunting is my job and V knows our enemy like the back of his hand. And what do you know? There’s devils between us and wherever you’re planning to go and there’s no room for squabbling when demons are around.” She picked up Astra from the ground. “You just cover my back and I’ll do my best to cover yours. Sound like a good plan?” 

“How do we know you’re not a demon yourself?” Algernon whispered, she could feel his narrowed eyes on her. She pointed to the sigils that decorated the walls.

“These are demon warding sigils. Demons hate them, says so on the tin. And my weapon, Astra, no demon could hold it for it would burn them.” She explained, twisting her wrist slightly to let Astra shimmer in the lamp light. Cassandra didn’t dare speak of Devil Arms, how the inverse was somewhat true for her. Her exposure to demonic energy over the years had allowed her to hold Devil Arms with only a light sting to her skin (unless she wore gloves). Wielding them, however, was a different matter entirely. While some were more than okay with a temporary partnership (she remembered Agni and Rudra, in the basement of Devil May Cry, being more than fine with her holding them), others she could only imagine were less willing to be held by anyone other than one or two specific people (Dante’s prized sword, Rebellion, came to mind, but she never dared touch her brother’s sword. She knew better than to try). 

“Let’s go.” Lavern finally spoke, stepping out of the room. Algernon looked as if he was ready to sputter before following her out. Cassandra did the same, hearing V pick up his cane to follow her. 

Stepping out of the safe haven, the early morning light stretched their shadows wide. Cassandra glanced to the two at the end of the alleyway, looking much like the three that barged into the safe haven that V and her spent the night at. Cassandra held onto the empty tin of sausage, mostly to use as a distraction in case they came across something too big for them to handle without the element of surprise. 

“Tate. Eleanore. We’re moving out.” Algernon spoke into his headpiece. “We have allies.”

_‘For now.’_ Cassandra wanted to say. She never trusted the military or police, not since that one time Dante got himself arrested to take out demons in a rumored inescapable prison. They rarely knew how to take out demons anyway, unable to fathom supernatural causes to disasters. Was the military any better? She wanted to say hardly so, they were barely a cut above police. But perhaps that was her own bias speaking, a bias she dared not speak aloud now. It was not the time and place for that. Tate and Eleanore nodded at the news of allies. Content with that, Algernon began to lead the way out of the alleyway and onto the street, the group walking at a brisk pace down the ruined boulevards of Red Grave City. 

As they strode down the empty and decaying city, the sun rising in the cloudless sky, Cassandra glanced to V to see how he was keeping up. His eyes glanced around the ruins of the city, as if trying to predict if and when the buildings around them would collapse from the Qliphoth’s roots piercing through them. She slowed her pace, just a little, to allow V to catch up with her. 

“Keeping an eye on our surroundings?” She leaned over to murmur.

“One of us must.” He replied softly. 

“I imagine you’ll be staying in the back most of the time.” She whispered. “I don’t trust any of them as far as I can see them and I don’t think your avian friend would appreciate being shot at.” She swore she saw movement on his exposed forearm but kept her mouth shut. It was probably a trick of the light. 

“And yet we are allies with them.” He pointed out. 

“You said it yourself: There is no room for antagonism, with the demons everywhere.” She noticed a faint smirk on his lips. “Now it’s a completely different thing if they start the shit flinging.” 

“If they decide to burn that bridge, we will react accordingly. But for now, I see no reason to presume the worst.” 

“Very well.” Cassandra nodded at his words. A sudden screech sliced through the air. 

“Demons! Heads up!” Algernon yelled. Cassandra whipped her head up, seeing five bat-like demons fluttering in the air. She noticed their faces and chests burned with some sort of infernal heat. They let out a screech and began to divebomb the Unit. 

“Pyrobats.” V breathed, quickly slipping into an alleyway. “Their chests are vulnerable to bullets, if you can hit them.” 

“Got it.” Cassandra resummoned her rapier. “Aim for their hearts! Demons can regrow heads but they can’t regrow hearts!” She ordered, taking the can in her hand and skillfully throwing it at a Pyrobat. It flew true, lodging itself into the mouth of the Pyrobat. It melted in it’s maw, causing molten metal to pour into its throat. The demon fell, letting out gurgles as it suffocated on the liquefied metal. She jumped forward, Astra diving into bat-like demon’s heart. 

_‘One down. Four-’_ Another Pyrobat fell at her side, chest riddled with bullets. _‘Make that three to go.’_ She glanced up, rolling out of the way of a line of flaming spit aimed at her. She looked behind her and winced as Algernon and Lavern barely dodged the line. With an eyeroll, she summoned an orb of blazing light and threw it, hitting another Pyrobat square in the chest. It fell to the ground, Cassandra twirling to skewer the Pyrobat in the chest to ensure it’s demise. She threw it aside, hitting a Pyrobat still in the air. The Pyrobat screamed out as it fell, not expecting its own ally as a weapon. 

“And another one bites the dust!” Cassandra yelled in triumph, rushing forward. She skewered the two Pyrobats on Astra to make sure they were dead before throwing their corpses into the wall. With a pant, she looked around to count the Pyrobats. 

_‘One, two, three, four...wait, where’s the fifth one?’_

“Fall!” 

She looked to where V was hiding, noticing the fifth Pyrobat skidding onto the street. Stepping out of the alleyway, cane slick with demon blood, was the very man that had hid from combat to let the others take care of them. She smirked to V. 

“Thanks, Mr. Poetry.” The smile she received from V was a tinge bittersweet, but why, she could not discern. Algernon rolled his eyes. 

“That bag of bones let us do the work…” 

“He knew their weaknesses and killed one of the demons before they could land a blow on you. That Pyrobat would have seriously hurt you if it managed to sneak up on you and I know for a fact that demons can leave some nasty fucking scars.” Cassandra pointed out, green eyes narrowed at Algernon’s visor. After a grumble, he walked past her. 

“Come on. Let’s keep going.” He ordered. She let out a frustrated sigh as he continued to walk, followed by Nylis, Tate, and Eleanore. Lavern placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I, for one, appreciated the info about how to take out those flying demons.” She said, an effort to soothe, before following Algernon. She looked to V, who walked his way to her side. She gave him a knowing look before following them, Cassandra willing Astra out of existence. 

“Already, he exhausts me.” V murmured.

“I know, I know.” She nodded to him. “Thanks for taking care of the Pyrobat that slipped out of our field of view.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

With that, the rest of the day was in silence. Cassandra mulled over the five that they were temporarily allied with. Algernon, of course, was nothing but an ass about their partnership. He didn’t _need_ to call V a bag of bones. Lavern seemed to be appreciative of their partnership, the only good one out of the bunch if she had to be honest. As for Nylis, Tate, and Eleanore, she wasn’t too sure about them. Tate was most likely their sniper, given how much he stayed in the back with V. But if Tate could get away with it, why did Algernon give V a hard time for not being as involved in the fight as they were? V’s knowledge of demons was vital in this time, given that there was a tree that was most certainly demonic and causing havoc upon Red Grave City. His knowledge of what was in the tree was just as important as any weapon. If Algernon could not see that, then their partnership was more tenuous than he realized. 

“What troubles you, Cassandra?” V’s voice roused her from her thoughts. She smiled uneasily at the poet. 

“I’m just thinking about our allies. I didn’t appreciate him calling you a bag of bones.” 

“It is difficult to find nourishment, given the state of Red Grave City.” He said nonchalantly. Cassandra tsked at him. 

“It’s still rude. You’re part of the crew now.” She ignored V's confusion. “And nobody messes with them, not on my watch. If he keeps up this shit, I’m not afraid of breaking off the partnership.” Cassandra scowled. She looked to V, who still seemed surprised about being so suddenly part of Devil May Cry. 

“And you’re certain Dante would approve?” Cassandra winced. 

“He’s not here. Neither are Trish and Lady. Nero’s probably out cold or still recovering in Fortuna from his arm being ripped off. I’m sorta the de-facto head of Devil May Cry, wouldn’t you agree?” She asked. 

“If you insist.” V let out a thoughtful hum.

“Well I do insist. You’ve been here in the city longer than I have, at least in this state. Your knowledge is invaluable, to me at least.” She smiled at him. “I won’t tolerate bullshit from him. Not with the situation we have now.” 

“EY!” Algernon’s voice rang out, causing Cassandra to wince. “CUT THE CHIT CHAT!” 

“COMING!” Cassandra called. She let out an exasperated grumble as she caught up with the Unit. This partnership was going to be rather draining, that much she knew. It only made her wish she had her brother, her family, back with her fighting the demons. 

It only fueled the desire to take down the stupid tree and Urizen. He would pay for separating her from the crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem V references is To Morning, from Poetical Sketches.


	4. Touching Base

_ June 10th, 6:07pm _

Cassandra grumbled as she worked on opening the tin can of soup. The safe haven they had found was a two-story building, formerly a shop if the shelves below, pressed up against the glass windows to act as a barrier between the demons and the humans inside, were any indication of what it was before it was transformed into a safe haven. They were cooped up on the second floor, which appeared to have been turned into some sort of living space for survivors. The walls, once covered with pretty wallpaper, were now covered with etched in demon-warding sigils, from a resident who had been here long before their arrival. There were six beds, actual and makeshift, and nightstands to seperate them. Against the wall was a phone, caked with dust and a tiny demon-warding sigil, as if the very person who put in the sigils around the room feared demons coming through the phones. 

Even though Cassandra and her allies had a long day, working through the remains of the city, keeping an eye out for survivors, and utilizing V’s knowledge of demons to quickly take care of the Empusas that they encountered (although she wondered where the other demons were. She quickly decided that she didn’t want to find out), she was infuriated that the Unit decided that her and V shouldn’t have say on what their course of action should be despite V’s far superior knowledge on the very demons that infested Red Grave City. 

She wondered if Algernon simply had it out for V, simply due to how he looked. While his lithe body made him ill suited for combat, the knowledge he had about the demons of Red Grave City was invaluable. Even she knew that, having been out romping around in the woods for the past three weeks stalking a two-headed snake demon for a job. She knew that throwing away valuable knowledge would only leave her vulnerable in the long run against her battle with the lord of the Qliphoth tree, Urizen. Hell, she wouldn’t even know Urizen’s name if not for him!

“Shit!” She hissed, cutting herself on the lid of the can. So focused on her thoughts, she had been careless with her meager dinner. She set the can down to take care of the wound, a light green energy forming in her hand. It swirled around the cut, causing it to stitch up and heal. The energy dispersed, leaving only a pleasant smell of herbs and mist. She took back her can and opened the plastic spoon to dig into their dinner. 

“I have not seen that magic before...but you are no demon.” V spoke. She looked up, seeing his jade eyes staring at her in confusion and awe. “What is it?” 

“You’ve never heard of Earthfaith?” He shook his head. “Very well. The Earthfaith is equal parts religion and magic. The magic of the Earthfaith is what allows me to summon Astra, to turn sunlight into an arrow and fire it upon demons, and to heal myself. The power of the Earthfaith is known as Crests, based on the very saints we worship. Astra and the sunlit arrow are both from the Crest of Saint Deirdre, my ancestor, while the ability to heal is from the saint of my father, Saint Julia.” 

“If they are indeed saints, why have I not heard of them?”

“My...birth town, Eternis Brillia, isolated itself in an attempt to stay pure to the Earthmother, the deity of the Earthfaith. I am not surprised there’s so little about it. There is only one book of them, a book that details the legend of the founding of Eternis Brillia. To make a very long epic poem short, the saints and a small group of mercenaries fought wave after wave of Mundus’ armies. The poem even describes an epic battle where Saint Deirdre crossed swords with the legendary Dark Knight, Astra against the Devil Sword Sparda. But, in the end, Mundus’ wings were lost, sliced off his body. He was forced to retreat with his armies. In celebration, Eternis Brillia was founded on the ground of the very battlefield that they fought on. It was meant to be a shining eternal beacon of hope to the world that humankind could fight against the demons and even win.” 

“That’s quite a tale...” V mused. Cassandra shrugged.

“Well...the poem is, like, two-thousand years old and it’s not even the original manuscript. I won’t be surprised if this epic duel to decide the fate of the world was made up in some capacity.” She said before taking in spoonfuls of cool soup. V still appeared to muse over her tale. 

“That is still an interesting story, Cassandra.” He hummed softly, closing his eyes. “I believe I have heard it before...or something like it.” 

“Probably Fortuna. Fortuna used to worship Sparda like a god. I’m not certain if they still do though…” She took in a spoonful of soup, thinking about it before suddenly gasping. “Actually, I don’t even think they would have the epic poem in their library, given how reverently they used to worship him.” She looked up at the phone. Quickly setting the can on the side table, she stood up and went to the phone. 

“What are you-”

“Hoping for a working phone.” She said, not looking to V as she picked up the phone. She heard a dial tone, much to her relief. “Perhaps…” She began to push in a phone number, the number to Morrison’s cellphone. She hoped he was still alive, she knew he could be quite clever when the situation called for it. A quiet first greeted her before the sound of dialing, a sound that made her sigh in relief. It was an attempt, and she hoped he picked up the phone-

“Hello?” She couldn’t believe that someone picked up, much less the familiar voice of their broker. 

“Morrison, is that you?” She breathed, a stuttery exhale as she tried to contain her joy. She heard him chuckle on the other end.

“Cassandra, it’s great to hear from you.” 

“You’re goddamn right Morrison.” Cassandra laughed. “I should be saying that to you. Hearing you is the best news I’ve had all month!” 

“Was the mission in Wales a success?”

“It was, but the dude was pretty stuttery about paying me. I was going to ask Lady about making sure the bills were legit but...then I found out about Red Grave. And the stupid demon tree.” Cassandra felt her shoulders sag. “You heard anything from Dante? Lady? Trish?”

“Nothing from nobody.” She could sense even Morrison’s frustration and worry about their absence. “Where are you right now anyway?”

“In the very city.” Morrison let out an obviously frustrated sigh. “And I know what you’re going to say: Get out of the city, it’s dangerous, and Dante probably made you swear to keep me out of the city if things go wrong.”

“Well, you’re right on two accounts. Not so much that third one...not that you’d listen to that command from anybody, not even if Dante told you himself.” Morrison let out a sigh, she could tell he sounded exhausted at the mere thought of arguing with her about whether she should stay in a place of safety or go and deal with the demon problem. “You make sure you got allies, you hear?” 

“Well, I got V right now.”

“V, huh...tall skinny guy? Has a cane?”

“The same. Why?” 

“He’s the guy who hired Dante in the first place.” Cassandra glanced to V, who was busy reading his book. She could tell he wasn’t actually reading the contents of the book, he was listening to her to talk to Morrison. “I gotta hand it to him, he’s tenacious.” 

“I quite agree.” She nodded a little. Perhaps that was why he looked so emaciated: He had been in the city the moment Dante failed to stop Urizen, searching for survivors to aid and demons to slay. Heh, that rhymed. “Anyways, we’re also in the...perilous accompaniment of the 21st Unit of the Red Grave Special Forces.” 

“Perilous?” 

“The leader of the bunch, Algernon Washington, he’s a...how should I put this...he’s a fucking boomer. Never refers to V by his name and calls him everything from useless to a bag of bones to an Empusa.”

“A what?”

“Basically the demonic equivalent of ants.” 

“No no, before that.” 

“Oh, a boomer?” She blinked. “I mean, he looks like he’s seventy-something. I didn’t get a good look at his face, he wears a stupid visor all the time, but he just sounds like a grumpy old asshole.” There was silence on the other end before Morrison began to laugh.

“Well, that’s one way to describe someone!” He said through his laughter. She heard a confused noise from beyond the phone, a familiar noise.

“Mr. Morrison? Is something the matter?” Kyrie! That was Kyrie’s voice! She could recognize it from anywhere. But why would Kyrie and Morrison be in the same place? Unless...

“Morrison, are you at Fortuna?” 

“I might be.” 

“Don’t be coy Morrison.” Cassandra narrowed her eyes at the phone. “You have to be at Fortuna because I heard Kyrie in the back.” She paused. “Why are you at Fortuna anyway?” 

“Well, Red Grave’s a bit too dangerous for me at the moment, so Miss Elesion opened her place up to me. And I gotta admit, Fortuna’s lovely.” 

“It’s an island nation, of course it’d be lovel-”

“Kyrie, do you need help with dinner?” A familiar voice spoke, one that made her heart stop. It was Nero. She could still remember him, arm bandaged and unconscious in the hospital room. She could remember Kyrie’s worry and the faint breeze from the sea that did little to help the situation around them. 

“Nero...Morrison, get Nero on the phone right now or so help me.” She whispered. She heard the sound of a chair creaking. 

“Nero, your mother’s on the line.” Morrison called. Cassandra blushed at that, just imaging Nero rubbing his nose bashfully at that. It was no secret she was fond of the younger hunter, even Dante joked that Nero was basically her son at this point. It wasn’t that they were incorrect, far from it, but it always flustered Nero. 

“Cassandra, is that you?” Cassandra wondered how wide her grin could get at the sound of his voice. 

“The one and only, Nero. I’m so glad to hear that you’re back home.” She breathed. “When did they discharge you?” The awkward silence that greeted her made her raise an eyebrow. “Nero…”

“I...uh...discharged myself.” 

“Nero, that’s not good for you.” 

“I had too. V told me about a demon that was going to beat Dante and I had to get over there and help.” Cassandra shot a glare at V before returning her gaze to the phone. 

“Ok, when did you discharge yourself?” 

“The sixteenth of May.” Cassandra mentally did some math. She had swung by Fortuna in the late afternoon of May 1st, which meant that Urizen had come up with the Qliphoth sometime between May 1st and May 16th. Not even Dante could stop Urizen, then what power did the Qliphoth have? She knew it was a tree from the Underworld, but what else was the Qliphoth tree capable of? Could it empower demons? Force them to work together? She did notice that the Emupsas were starting to come with aid of their own, green flying demons that showered them with healing dust. V’s description of them was apt, they were merely known as Green Empusas but they had to be taken down quickly, as they would re-energize their fellow demon to fight anew. 

“I wish I was there sooner, Nero. I found out about the tree like…” She let out a grumble. “Ugh, three, four days ago? You were in it, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Tell me what happened.” Nero let out a sigh on the other end.

“Alright, where to begin…”

“Since V  _ didn’t tell me _ he picked you up at the hospital, that would be a good place to start.” She suggested, her green eyes narrowed at V (who was still pretending to read from his book). 

“...Mom, please don’t stab him.” Nero sighed. Cassandra perked up at that before chuckling. Nero referring to her as mom or mother was the quickest way to get her to stop doing what she was doing and she knew Nero was smart enough to know this about her. “Alright, I first met V at the hospital. Well, he kinda...met me.”

“How so…?”

“I woke up and he was standing at the window.” Totally not creepy, Cassandra noted. “He told me his name was V and he knew about the demon who...you know.” 

“Yeah…” The memory of the unconscious Nero flashed in her mind before she willed it away. 

“V said he’s a devil hunter. I’m not sure I buy it, honestly...but I went to Red Grave to help Dante because V said he wouldn’t be able to do it.” 

“And he was right, apparently. Morrison hasn’t heard anything from him or the ladies.” Cassandra tried to hide the yearning for them in her voice. The fact that they were still missing worried her. “Ok, so you took up your sword and went to the demon tree. What happened in the tree?” 

“I saw the asshole. He wasn’t even trying to fight, just throwing his hand around and throwing out attacks. Dante was out when I arrived so I took a crack at him.”

“And you didn’t succeed…I have no doubt you tried your best, Nero.” 

“Wasn’t enough.” The younger hunter hissed. “This asshole took my arm-”

“Oh good, another reason to beat his ass.” Cassandra huffed. “The first was ripping Red Grave City apart.” She heard him hum in amusement. 

“Maybe you can save some for Dante.” She blinked.

“What did he do?” 

“He…” Nero paused, as if the memory was painful to recall. He let out a sigh, briefly muffled by a hand that was probably ruffling his hair. “After he got up, he went right for him, pulling out Devil Trigger.” Cassandra blinked. She had rarely seen Dante go into Devil Trigger, at least in her presence. “He told V to get my deadweight ass outta ther-

“He did  _ what _ .” No response, probably because Nero was caught off guard by the cold fury in her voice. “Nero, I swear to the Earthmother, the moment I find Dante I’m going to punch him in the nose. Repeatedly, just to make sure it breaks-”

“Mom, once we kick this asshole back to the Underworld, then you can punch Dante.” Nero tried to soothe her. She let out a sigh. 

“You’re right. Once he’s kicked six ways to Sunday back to the Underworld, then I’ll punch Dante.” 

“Anyway…” Nero took back her attention to continue her story. “V summoned some demon monster and got us out of that tree.” A demon monster that wasn’t Griffon or the cat? Perhaps V had more secrets than she thought he had. “We had to flee, even though there were people getting taken by the demon tree.” She frowned at that. It seemed that there were some that were just unlucky enough to be killed. As much as she hated to admit it, there were people that could not be saved. “I’m gonna come back to Red Grave soon. Me and V are supposed to meet up in the city.” 

“Oh? So you’ve established a meeting point yet?” 

“Red Grave Cathedral.” 

“Red Grave Cathedral…” Cassandra mused. She was familiar with the cathedral, it wasn’t too far from the southmost point of Red Grave City. “We’ll meet in five days. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Yeah.” Cassandra hummed at Nero’s affirmation.

“I’ll meet you there, Nero. Make sure you get plenty of sleep. We’ll kick some demon ass, find the crew, and defeat Urizen in time for Kyrie’s next big meal. Promise.” 

“I know we will.” And there it was, the confidence she knew Nero had. Cassandra smiled at the sound. 

“Love you, Nero.” She heard him take a deep flustered breath, stuttering over his words. 

“Iloveyoumom!” He said in a breath before the sound of wind and Morrison’s surprised yelping. 

“Woah, kid what’s the matter-” She heard him sigh. “And he’s gone. I don’t know what you do to that boy to make him act like that.”

“Can’t a mom tell her sweet darling son that she loves him?” She asked with a chuckle. Morrison chuckled, she could just see him rolling his eyes. 

“You really are fond of him, aren’t you?” Morrison sounded amused at her words.

“Morrison, you know anyone in Devil May Cry is family to me. Even Patty, our favorite sassy lost child.” 

“And she likes you because you taught her how to throw knives.” Morrison pointed out. 

“What?” Cassandra asked in mock indignance. “I learned how to fence when I was eleven and creepy asshole dudes are more dangerous than any demon!” 

“Mr. Morrison, dinner’s ready!” 

“Ah, and that’s my cue to hang up.” He sighed. “Do stay alive, you hear? I don’t want to lose you too.” 

“You won’t, Morrison. I can assure you that.” Cassandra said, a grim determination in her voice. 

“Good. You take care of yourself now.” With that, he hung up. Cassandra put the phone back into the receiver and went back to her bed, taking the cold can of soup and resuming eating. A quiet fell in the room, broken only by the clattering of tin against plastic. 

“I see you’re quite attached to Nero.” V spoke, breaking the silence. Cassandra sighed. 

“He’s like a son to me. And Nero seems to trust you, at least enough to vouch for you, so I trust you.” She didn’t dare add a ‘for now’ to that and it seemed as if V understood that. “If you hired Dante to help you with this, you have my protection as well. Someone’s gotta see the job through.” 

“Thank you.” She smiled at that and finished her soup, taking it to the trash can and throwing it away. “I’m gonna sleep early tonight. You should too. Have nice dreams.” There was a quiet as she settled on the makeshift bed before she heard V curl up on the other bed. Cassandra curled up, smiling as she drifted off into slumber. 


	5. Imps in a Tank

_ June 11th, 1:35pm _

Cassandra resisted the urge to complain for the fifth time that day. Afternoons in summer were already swelteringly hot in Red Grave City, something she vividly remembered Dante complaining about whenever the summer weather arrived. There had been many restless days where it was just them in the shop, suffering under the heat that gripped the city into a virtual deadlock. No amount of scotch could fix the humidity that was thrust upon them and she wasn’t even sure there was a drop to drink in the ruined city. 

Which made her yearn for the taste even more. But there wasn’t any to find. Which only served to just irritate her further. 

“A penny for your thoughts?” V’s voice brought her out of her grumpiness. 

“If that penny is a flask full of scotch, then yes.” Cassandra huffed. “I once passed by a novelty flask that was a giant penny. I really should’ve gotten it.” V smiled at that. 

“I did not take you for a hard drinker.” 

“I’m from the Highlands, what do you expect me to be? A lightweight?” Cassandra laughed. “I’m one of the few people that can outdrink Dante. Barely, but I take my victories when I can. But nobody can outdrink Lady. That woman can take beers like nobody’s business.” 

“I see. I am not fond of alcohol. It is a distraction I can ill afford.” 

“Fair enough. More for me, if we find any.” Cassandra hummed, running a hand through her hair. “It's a shame I get the feeling that we won’t find any. This city’s drier than a desert.” V just let out a hum. 

“The Hell Caina is a concerning sight.” He said, changing the topic. Cassandra raised an eyebrow. 

“How so? They’re just dolls with scythes, right?” 

“No, not the ones we have fought.” V shook his head. “Their presence is a sign that the barrier between the human world and the demon world is weakening. The longer the Qliphoth stands...” V trailed off, seeing Cassandra’s grimace. 

“The less time we have to stop the two worlds from becoming one, right?” She whispered, looking to V for confirmation. After a few moments, he nodded. Cassandra let out a frustrated sigh. “Earthmother help me, it would be hell on earth. Literally.” 

“There is a bright side to this: The Hell Antenoras have not been seen. I do not believe our allies would last long against them. They are the more vicious form of the Hell Caina, tortured to madness…” He trailed off again, as if a painful memory from the past arose at the description. 

“The Hell Antenora? What kind of demon is that?” Cassandra asked. 

“Similar to the Hell Caina, as I have mentioned earlier, but with a distinct difference: Instead of scythes, they have elongated cleavers. They are nothing short of feral. It is a mercy we have not seen them yet.” 

“Yeah, mercy ind-” 

“Get back!” Algernon hissed. She gasped as the unit rushed behind a building. She followed suit, hearing V rush after her. As they followed the wall of the building, Cassandra leaned forward.

“What’s the matter?!” 

“We have a demon in a tank.” Lavern whispered sharply. She paused. “Wait, two demons. In a tank.” Cassandra looked to V, who looked quite surprised at the words that left Lavern’s mouth. 

“A what?” He whispered. 

“Two demons. In a tank.” 

“Why is there a...tank here?” V asked. 

“Unit 04 came here with a tank with all intention of blowing the tree up.” Lavern explained. “But they were killed when some big alligator looking demon ripped them apart. It wasn’t pretty, all that Unit 37 found was their dog tags.” Cassandra winced at that. “I think the tank they had got taken by the demons.” She leaned over, faintly seeing the tank in question. It was covered in pulsating black demonic miasma, she was barely able to see the words Red Grave Special Forces on the side of the tank’s body. On the hatch of the tank were two imp-like demons, chattering loudly. One was a rather fuzzy blue imp while the other was a sickly green. Surrounding the tank was a wide-open ruin of toppled buildings and scorched stone, what they once were was unrecognizable. It seemed as if the demons in question had a fun time with their stolen toy (granted, she was pretty sure Dante would be just as thrilled to play with a tank. At least he’d play responsibly. Hopefully). She frowned, the sound of their demonic tongue grating against her ears. She glanced back to V, who seemed to be mulling over what they were saying. After a few moments, he opened his eyes.

“They are arguing about who should be in the tank, at the moment. If a bullet can pierce both their hearts, we can pass without fear.” V said. Lavern nodded and held her finger to her earpiece.

“Tate, keep your aim on their chests if you can. Wait for an opening to shoot both their hearts at the same time.” 

“Roger.” And with that, silence. She winced at the imps demonic tongue, still too rough for her ears. It was almost as if sandpaper were being rubbed directly into her mind. It wasn’t the first time she heard the language of demons, but it made it no less pleasant. It was far less pleasant when said demons were squabbling incessantly about something as asinine as ‘who should drive the tank’. The sweltering heat made waiting even less comfortable, the afternoon sun beating down on them. 

_ ‘Don’t fucking move...don’t you dare breathe…’ _ She thought mentally, waiting for the moment that they could proceed. They just had to wait for the right moment...

**_BAM!_ **

“HUMAAANS!” The imps screamed. “IT’S KNEECAP BURNING TIME!” 

“Shit, who fired!” Cassandra snarled as the unit scrambled to get out of the way. She grabbed V’s coat and pulled him to the ground, a burst of flaming material flying over their heads. She rolled, taking V with her, to behind some debris and casually ignoring noises of protest from him. 

“Algernon!” Lavern snarled. It seemed that Algernon’s finger slipped, causing him to fire. She glanced up, seeing one of the imps having a scorched ear. While she was impressed he managed to hit one of the imps, their now-blown cover made it harder “Defensive measures, now!” She faintly heard bullet fire, perhaps from Tate, who was across from the field of battle. 

“You get the unit to safety, I’ll distract the tank.” Cassandra snapped to Lavern. Before she could object, Cassandra dashed out across the stone. “HEY ASSHATS!” 

“Look, a human!” The blue imp screamed. 

“It’s that human!” The green imp screeched. “The wild rose Ouroboros was hunting!” 

“The one and only, thank you very much!” Cassandra called, her hand ablaze with arrows of sunlight. “Eat this!” She threw the arrows outward, causing them to sear the miasma that surrounded the tank. It was scorched off, leaving behind scarred metal. 

“Hey! That’s our tank!” The blue imp disappeared beneath the tank. The green imp let out an infuriated scream.

“Stupid human! You’re lucky the Grand Usurper wants your blood!” 

“Again with the Grand Usurper.” Cassandra huffed. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw V’s eyes widen. She returned her gaze to the tank, ducking from another round. “That’s a pretty fancy toy you got there! Did he give it to you yourself? I thought something so big would be for a bigger demon!” 

“We stole it ourselves from Goliath!” The green imp squeaked proudly. Cassandra raised an eyebrow. Goliath sounded like a powerful demon but a complete musclehead if he missed  _ a tank _ being stolen. “We’re the best at burning kneecaps!” 

“Burning kneecaps, huh? That’s cu-” 

“STOP TALKING TO HER AND SHOOT!” There was a rattling echo inside the tank, the rage of the blue imp obvious for all to hear. Cassandra smirked, more arrows of sunlight forming in her hand. She threw them to the imp, the arrows taking skin with it. The green imp screaming.

  
“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE THROWING THAT!” The green imp aimed and fired. Cassandra didn’t expect the sudden firing of the tanks’ gun, barely able to roll out of the way. Some of the burning material caught on her leg, causing her to gasp out in pain as the scent of seared flesh punctuated the air. Cassandra looked to the burn, whimpering from the agony of scorched flesh.

“We got her! We got her!” The green imp screamed happily. 

“Is she dead? Can we eat her kneecaps?” The blue imp poked his head out. “Oh come ooon! I missed!” 

“What an eyesore.” Came a deceptively cool voice, a voice that made Cassandra shudder. There was the sound of a snap of fingers before, from above, a golem landed between her and the tank. It was far taller than her, strange metal-like plates sticking out of its shoulder. She looked to the side, seeing V standing on the opposite side of the field. His hair was stark white, arms strangely bare of the tattoos she was used to. His jade green eyes were focused on the tank, visibly irritated at the imps. “Eradicate them.” 

With that simple command, the golem attacked. A beam of light purple energy, very obviously demonic, shot out of its body. It pierced the tank, almost rendering it into two. The imps screamed out, flying out of the tank comically. She glanced up, watching as Griffon grabbed the two imps from the air and held them in his talons. She heard a rumble by her and glanced to her side, seeing the demonic jaguar she had come to know as Shadow standing there protectively. The golem lumbered forward, raising it’s massive arms and throwing them down onto the tank. As it ripped and crushed, V calmly walked over to Cassandra. 

“Cassandra-” She jumped and looked at him. For a brief moment, she thought she saw Dante before shaking her head. 

“Uh, wow, your hair.” She stared at him. “That’s...I, heh…” She chuckled, trying to form words. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” 

“One must always have secrets.” He smiled at her before looking to the burn on her leg, Cassandra’s gaze following his. She winced at the sight. 

“Don’t say it. I know it looks ugly.” She reached out, green forming at her hand. It seeped into the burn on her leg. “Just keep an eye on my back, ok?” He nodded. Shadow let out a chuff, she wondered if he had commanded the demon nonverbally. Would that make the trio more like familiars than true demons? Cassandra took a deep breath, pushing her questions out of her mind to focus on healing the wound. Slowly, the flesh reformed and smoothed out, with only a faint discoloration where the burn once was. Cassandra’s hand fell, followed by a heavy strained exhale.

“Are you alright?”

“It just...took a lot outta me.” She looked up, seeing the tank was no more. After a few moments, the golem turned to the two and stood there, as if waiting for an order. “Who’s that?” 

“To our enemies, a nightmare.” He said simply. Cassandra chuckled at his words.

“I’m not gonna lie, it sure looks like one.” She swore she heard a faint laugh before the golem collapsed. She watched as it faded away before looking to V, noticing the black seeping into snow white hair like ink dripped into water. She stared, even as their eyes met. “V...who are you?” 

“A god damn safety hazard, that’s what.” Algernon’s voice spoke. She looked up, scowling as he walked over to her. He pointed his gun at V, earning only a faint wince from him. “Who the hell are you!?” 

“Your savior, for starters.” Cassandra shot up to her feet, ignoring the sharp ache in her leg. “His summon just saved us from becoming demon food!” 

“That  _ thing _ attracts demons.” He growled. The jaguar let out a low growl in return. 

“Shadow, by me.” V murmured. The jaguar padded to V’s side, red eyes focused on Algernon. Cassandra looked to Griffon, watching as he lowered himself down to the group. She noticed the two imps were dead, the life scorched from their tiny forms. They almost looked pathetic like that, bones barely held together by flesh, disintegrating before her very eyes. The imps ashen remains were dropped to the ground. Cassandra, on instinct, held out her arm. Griffon looked to her with an awkward chirp before resting on her arm.

“We can ill afford antagonism, Algernon.” Cassandra growled. “V has done nothing but help us and offer us information and this is how you repay him? By throwing the end of your gun at his face? Did your parents ever teach you manners?” 

“You shut your mouth, bit-”

“She’s right.” Lavern spoke up. “She would’ve been killed had not V did what he did.” Algernon stared at her, shocked before he let out a sigh of relentence. He walked away, turning only to spit on the charred ash that were once imps that stood in their way. The rest of the unit slowly filed away, with only Nylis pausing to glance at her leg. Content, he too followed Algernon forward. 

“This partnership becomes more tenuous by the minute.” V sighed. 

“I wanna zap him…” Griffon growled, squirming on her arm. “He was gonna shoot you in the face! I know she’s got healy stuff but not many can just survive bullets to the face!” 

“Except Dante.” Cassandra added. “And theoretically, Trish.” 

“Well, my point still stands.” Griffon ruffled up his feathers.

“And what of you, Cassandra?” V asked, his eyes directly focused on her. She blinked before looking to the unit. 

“I say we follow. We’ve been together this long, perhaps a little longer will make him change his mind.” She shook Griffon off her arm.

“I do not see that being the case, Cassandra, but I will trust your judgement for now.” 

_ ‘I don’t really trust you.’ _ Cassandra thought.  _ ‘But you did save my life. I guess that means I owe you.’ _ She smiled a little as Griffon and Shadow returned to their master. 

“If anything…” Cassandra added, turning to follow the unit. “They make a pretty good shield in case they get their own asses in trouble. Nylis is a pretty capable medic, if I do say so myself.” 

“And you are not?” V asked, walking with her. 

“Well, I can only do so much before I become exhausted. I just pray it’s enough to save lives.” Cassandra explained, letting out a sigh. “I hope we find a safe haven soon. I need a nap after all that excitement.” She stretched a little, giving the ruined tank one final glance before they entered the shade of the still-standing buildings of Red Grave City. 


	6. Simmering Tension

_June 14th, 11:03pm_

It was raining. 

Cassandra leaned against the window, holding out her hand. She watched the warm rainwater splash onto the skin. The heat of summer seemed to have affected the very rain, if it’s warmth was any indication. Taking back her hand, she let out a sigh as she looked out to the ruined street. The safe haven they ducked in had three stories, one of the most-intact buildings of Red Grave City. The roots of the Qliphoth seemed to have missed this particular building, impaling others across the street. This boon made the building perfect to take shelter in for the night. 

But Cassandra wasn’t in the mood to sleep. The rest of the Unit, except for Lavern, had scorned V’s presence ever since the moment he summoned Nightmare onto the tank to save her. Algernon was the worst offender, not even calling V by his name. Whenever Algernon had to speak with V, he would refer to him by insults such as ‘Empusa’ and ‘demon bait’. She wondered how V seemed to take it in stride, although she could faintly see the frustration in his eyes. 

She stepped away from the window, slowly making her way downstairs. Even though they had barred her from their tactics meetings, she wouldn’t be so easily deterred. She knelt down, ear pressed against the wall. The building’s walls were, at least on this level, thankfully thin. 

“Algernon, I’m sick and tired of your disapproval of V.” Lavern growled. Cassandra smiled at that. Lavern was always the only person who respected V and she appreciated it. “Him and Cassandra have been more than capable fighters against the demons and his knowledge about demonkind is invaluable. You’re just upset that you don’t know more than he does. You always wer-”  
  


“It doesn’t matter!” Algernon snarled. “That thing has demons at his side! Who knows if he’s secretly working with the demons?” 

“That’s silly, Algernon. There’s been numerous accounts of his work from the surv-”

“He only appeared two months ago, Lavern. And V sounds like a fake name anyway! What if he’s a cultist who’s using us as a shield?” 

“Red Grave City’s always attracted the supernatural.” Lavern said. Cassandra noted she sounded exhausted dealing with Algernon. “This isn’t the first time Red Grave City was under assault by demons.” She let out a sigh, was it out of resignation or defeat? Cassandra couldn’t tell. What was more interesting was Red Grave City’s history with demons. She had read about Red Grave City’s history, about the demon attack nearly thirty years ago. But that was of this magnitude, of swarms scouring the city for something. “Need I remind you, Unit 13 took care of the Cult of the Blood Tree. You’re just being irration-”

“Who knows if there were more than one branch of that cult? What if there’s a completely different cult? That useless piece of shit is nothing more than a risk we can’t afford!” Algernon growled. 

“Have you seen that boy’s face today?” Lavern retorted. “When we found that poor soul?” Cassandra remembered his face. Earlier today, they found a human that had been practically mauled to death by demons, enough so that not even she could do anything about it. The look on V’s face was indescribable but clearly remorseful. She almost felt bad for him. 

_‘So young…’_ She remembered hearing him murmur. She had gently pulled V away from the corpse with a firm but comforting arm around his shoulder. She could only imagine what he had seen, wandering around the city all alone with only the company of his familiars. The lives that he couldn’t save and the lives of those that refused to be saved...did they weigh on his mind? Or did he bear it alone? She wasn’t sure.

“I don’t care if he looked remorseful or not. If he felt any remorse about this, he should take a knife and off himself.” A silence fell at his words. Cassandra couldn’t hear what she just heard. Algernon had not only accused V of being a demon cultist but to end his own life. She scowled, her hands balling into tight fists as she thought about what to do. She was half-tempted to burst in there and yell at Algernon for daring to say something so cruel and heartless. 

Instead, she slowly stood and walked up the stairs to the third floor. Reaching the floor, the divine rapier Astra snapped into her hands. Her hand glowed with an orb of light, which she casually threw up to the center of the room. The room, now lit, was barren with only some rags and newspapers all over the floor. It afforded her the space to practice her swordwork, the thing she defaulted to when she had too much anger and energy to rest. Despite the lack of dummies she could slice into, she would make do with the motions. 

As she went through the motions, muscle memory taking over, her mind drifted to the past. This wasn’t the first time she dealt with such senseless hatred...

_Grue’s Cellar was the only dive open at this hour, at least when she strode into the dive to hide from the rain outside. Wrapped around her was a beige raincoat, hiding the demon blood that stained her clothes. She had just finished a mission of her own, a coven of witches had lost control of a demon they summoned and had to be put down by her hand. As for Dante, he was out of town, escorting a child Morrison had brought to him named Patty. While she found the child endearingly sassy, Dante didn’t seem as endeared to her. Then again, it just seemed like everything changed since his return from Mallet Island. That demoness, Trish, didn’t stay around for too long, a week at most. After her departure, a sense of misery draped itself over Devil May Cry (or Devil Never Cry, but that was changed back quickly enough). Dante didn’t speak much of what happened on the accursed island, other than that he kicked Mundus’ ass._

_But if he did so, why wasn’t he celebrating?_

_Mundus was no ordinary demon, he was the Ruler of the Underworld. Surely, that warranted more celebration than he actually did. Cassandra knew something else happened on that island, something that shook him to his very core, something that wasn’t named Trish. She tried to get the answer out of him but he continually shut down the conversation, each attempt becoming more snippity until he finally snapped at her._

_‘Cassandra, just stop!’ It was that warped snarl that made her stop, a tone that she rarely heard from the devil hunter. It was enough to make her step out of the shop, at least for a couple days, before she returned with ice cream and an apology. Although he did apologize in turn, at least for snapping at her the way he did, that moment always made her wonder why he would hide that from her. Was it out of fear? Doubt? She wasn’t sure if she would ever find out._

_Shaking the memories out of her head, she walked to the bar. Grue’s Cellar was a small dingy place, where mercenaries hung out. The scent of smoke and alcohol was strong in the air. She knew Morrison drifted in and out of the bar, hunting for information like he always did. While this was her first time actually in Grue’s Cellar, she had heard of it’s reputation. Although she took tall tales with a grain of salt, she heard that it's reputation made new hunters explosively rich. Taking a seat, she pulled out some bills._

_“What cha want, little lady?” The bartender asked, striding over to her while wiping a glass clean._

_“Scotch, on the rocks.”_

_“You look a little young for scotch.”_

_“What, twenty-eight too young for scotch?” Cassandra grinned cheekily. The bartender rolled his eyes as he took her bills. He walked away to pour out the scotch. She leaned against the wood, glancing around to the bar. It seemed that the rain was keeping everyone inside, the bar was packed with people she assumed were mercenaries or those who lived rougher lives compared to everyone else in the city. She glanced to the bartender, sliding the drink down to her. She took the cool glass and drank, humming at the taste. Her green eyes flicked up, seeing a pair of men sitting by her side. They looked just as rough as the others, one with brown hair and the other with a near striking shade of blond that reminded her too much of a man she wished she could forget. They were both in raincoats, the blond in blue and the brunet in dark green._

_“I haven’t seen you ‘round here before, little lady.” The brown-haired man spoke, turning to her. “What’s your name?”_

_“Sagefire. Cassandra Sagefire.” She said, voice clipped to express the desire of quiet._

_“You’re working with that one guy, aren’t ya?” The blond spoke. “Red coat, white hair?”_

_“Only business partner I have, next to Morrison. What’s it to you?”_

_“He’s a butcher!” The brown-haired man raised up his hands. “Cause of him, this bar blew up once.” Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “We don’t even say his name here.”_

_“Why is that related to me?” Cassandra asked. “All of you are mercenaries, right? Our lives are fraught with danger, on and off the field of battle.”_

_“Look sweetheart, not all of us are as nice as we are.” The blond huffed as a beer slid into his hand from the bartender. “We just don’t want to see a pretty little thing like you hurt is all.”_

_“He hasn’t hurt me, if that’s your big concern.” She raised an eyebrow at the blond. “Although is that really your ‘big concern’.”_

_“Of course it is!” The brown-haired man laughed at her suspicious tone. “That man, is he even one really?, he really did cause this place to blow up once.” Cassandra frowned at that accusation. That seemed completely out of character for Dante which was why she wasn’t buying it._

_“Whatever you say.” She took another swig of scotch._

_“If I ever met him, I’d put a bullet in his head.” The blond huffed._

_“A bullet!?” The brown-haired man laughed. “He’d take ten and still be walking! That man...he’s not really a man, isn’t he?”_

_“Well he’s not a demon.” Cassandra pointed out, taking a swig of scotch. “Ah...demons smell like blood and shit. He just smells of pizza and strawberries.” She set the empty glass down onto the wood bar._

_“Of course you’d say that.” The blond growled. “You’re just a side hoe.” Cassandra tensed up. As much as she wanted to throw a punch for that, she kept her cool. Everyone was probably miserable from the wet weather and one bar fight could explode into a full on riot. She knew that Morrison would probably scold her for causing a fight. “You only stick around for sex.”_

_“Quite a few assumptions you have there.” Cassandra pointed out, keeping her cool. “I’m pretty sure it’s weird to be amorous with one who you consider your brother.”_

_“That freaky guy has a sibling kink?” The brown-haired man asked._

_“Not that I know of. I don’t pry into his sex life.”_

_“Doesn’t pry into his sex life, she says.” The blond rolled his eyes. “Like a li-”_

“Cassandra.”

Cassandra was snapped out of her memories by a familiar voice, smooth but laced with concern. She looked back, seeing V leaning against the wall. She sighed, dismissing the rapier. 

“I’m fine V-” 

“Are you?” He asked. She frowned, looking to the ground. She couldn’t meet V in the eye and tell him that she was fine to his face. 

“...not really.” She sighed. “Algernon has shown his true colors. He believes you’re a cultist and that you should throw yourself on something particularly sharp and…” She trailed off, not wanting to continue the sentence. V closed his eyes, thinking about her words. 

“He wishes for my absence, does he?” 

“To put it lightly, yeah.” Cassandra looked to the orb of light hovering in the room and took it back, the ball shrinking as it raced towards them. It hovered between them, dim akin to the falling of the sun. The rain outside must have ceased during her run-through of exercises. 

“Do you believe me to be a cultist?” V asked, voice soft. She looked to him. 

“I’ve seen cultists in my time, V. Most of them are cowards, fleeing when the going gets rough. You’ve had plenty of chances to flee, V, and yet you’ve stood your ground each time. There’s a difference between fleeing when you can’t handle it and fleeing because you don’t want to handle it and you’re shown me, time and time again, that you are no coward.” Cassandra shifted her weight as she spoke, her gaze fully focused on the mysterious man leaning against the wall. His eyes were to the ground, quietly listening to her. His hair hid his face, making his expression almost unreadable. Cassandra let out a sigh. “There’s also the fact that you hired Dante of Devil May cry to deal with this job. Dante’s not here, nor are Lady and Trish, so it falls to me to finish the job. And Dante didn’t raise a devil hunter that leaves their clients wanting.” 

“I can see that.” V chuckled. 

“So, what are you planning to do V?” 

“We have our meeting point with Nero. I believe it is time to end our partnership with the Unit and go our separate ways.” V stood up properly. He walked to the window on the other side of the room, giving his cane a twirl. Cassandra followed him, the two reaching a suspiciously large window. He held out his arm, Griffon appearing in a swirl of demonic magic. 

“Come oon, I was taking a naaap!” The bird huffed. V rolled his eyes. 

“We have work to do.” V said before jumping out the window. Cassandra yelped, rushing to the edge. She watched as his hand gripped tight on Griffon’s leg, letting the demonic bird ease him to the ground. 

“Huh.” She watched the bird fly up to meet her. 

“Come on Rapunz- Oh wait, your hair’s short.” Griffon huffed. Cassandra chuckled, stepping onto the windowsill. 

“I had long hair when I was a child. I cut it short when I left home to fight demons.” She explained just moments before she jumped, grabbing Griffon’s leg. He squawked before he glided his way down to the street. She landed next to V, letting go of Griffon’s leg and letting him fly into the air. 

“Shall we then?” V asked.

“Let’s head to the cathedral.”


	7. Hunter and Huntress

_ June 15th, 05:32am _

The clouds in the sky were thick, the cover occasionally parted to reveal the faintest light of dawn. Around them, more of the ruined Red Grave City. Even in it’s ruin, Cassandra recognized the tourist trap that this part of Red Grave City was. It led to Red Grave Cathedral, which was a tourist destination for its beautiful stained glass. It made sense that this stretch of Red Grave was filled to the brim with tourist trap shops and dining. The two hunters walked slowly down the street, silent as they walked. They had long since left the Unit, putting considerable distance between them. They probably went ahead without them to the southern exit of Red Grave City. 

Cassandra tried not to feel too guilty about their fates. Whether they used V’s knowledge or not was all up to them and Algernon’s continued hostility would have only split them further apart. She looked to V, who did not seem as visibly worried about their fates as she was. Perhaps it was just a consequence of having her heart on her sleeve. 

“Something troubles you.” 

“Is that so?” Cassandra looked to V, a wry smile on her face. “How do you know?”

“Your eyes, they grow distant when something occupies your mind.” He explained. 

“So you’ve been keeping an eye on my eyes...are you flirting V?” V let out a soft gasp, caught off guard. Cassandra giggled a little at his flustered face. “I’m just teasing!” 

“Do you find pleasure in teasing me?” He huffed, frowning. That look was adorable, in a way. 

“Only if you make it easy for me.” She chuckled, lifting her arms and placing her hands behind her head as if she was relaxing. A sudden woosh behind her made her stop, slowly lowering her hands. A familiar sensation came to her, the sensation of being hunted by something demonic. She briefly remembered Ouroboros, the role of hunter and huntress being in flux between her and the demonic snake. This was different. This was distinct enough to make her pause. 

They were prey to a hunter they did not yet see. 

“V. I need you out of here. Now.” She whispered. “We’re being stalked.”

“What?” V looked back. “Who.” 

“I don’t know and that’s the problem. Get on Nightmare and go on ahead. I’ll lead our hunter away.” 

“It is not a means of transportat-” V began. Cassandra whipped to him, a breath away from his face.

“I know. But our hunter is going to want to follow the smaller weaker target if you get on that giant-ass demon golem and bounce away. Got it?” She hissed, giving him her best ‘don’t ask more questions just do it’ face. V was quiet before nodding, walking away. He snapped his fingers, the golem bursting out from nowhere as his hair turned snow white. Cassandra pulled out Astra, channeling her power to make it glow. She turned around the corner, hearing Nightmare leap away. Glancing back, she barely saw V on the golem’s back. Compared to the powerhouse that was Nightmare, she would look like a far easier target. The shining rapier would be a beacon that the hunter in question would follow until they met. 

As she dashed through the streets of Red Grave City, she skidded to a stop. She sensed demonic energy rushing above her. Instinctively, she ducked, hearing a whoosh of wind. The screen above what was once a shopping mall cracked from a demon landing into it, the sound of crushed glass falling onto the pavement below echoed throughout the street. She looked up, seeing a humanoid demon on the screen, a thick hunter’s knife embedded into the glass of the LCD. The demon was, at a glance, at least as tall as Dante. It was hunched over, the cracked lights of the LCD shimmering and illuminating the tattered leather and dark green markings of its body. The demon lifted up it’s head, amber eyes gazing wickedly at her. Sharpened teeth grinned as it sized up its prey. The demon leapt forward, causing Cassandra to jump back to dodge it’s hunting knife. The demon lifted up it’s head, cackling softly.

“Sneaky sneaky rose, hiding in the brambles…” The demon swayed as it leaned forward. Cassandra scowled, leaned back away from the demon as the scent of rotted plants and blood filling the air around them. The demon cackled, it’s furred body shaking with its body. Even hunched over, leaning forward to get into her space, the demon was still a head taller than her. 

“Who are you, demon? Since you know me so well.” 

“Elhaan!” The demon wheezed out a laughter. Cassandra waved her hand in front of her face at the smell. “While Goliath rampages away, Elhaan comes to play!” 

_ ‘There’s the name Goliath again…’ _ Cassandra thought, keeping her stance steady. Elhaan lashed out with his hunting knife, to which Cassandra countered with Astra meeting the demon’s weapon of choice. She groaned before pushing the knife away, lashing out with Astra and slicing into his face. Black blood spilled onto the ground, followed by an enraged scream as the demon stumbled away holding its face. His hand slowly lowered, amber eyes shining with rage as his hand smeared blood down his face.

“You will pay for that…” He growled. Cassandra smirked, flicking the blood off the rapier.

“Make me.” She whispered, holding her hand out to goad him forward. Elhaan snarled and charged forward, Cassandra deftly dodging his charge. “Gonna have to be quicker than that!” She laughed, skipping back a little before turning and racing off up the street. 

“COWARD!” The demon screamed, bounding after her. She could hear the stone crack while she ran, Elhaan panting as he pursued her. With a smirk, she skid into a building, causing Elhaan to yelp as he skidded further down the street into a building, slipping from the water still soaked into the asphalt. She smirked as she ran through the building, quickly jumping out of a broken window to keep running, to keep the hunter as far away from V as she could manage. Running up the street, she quickly noted the elevation change. It seemed this part of the city was more upturned than the places she had been previously with him and the Unit. 

Well, V did call the vines Qliphoth  _ Roots _ . 

Throwing the surprise out of her mind, she skidded into an empty intersection, quickly turning back to make sure the demon wasn’t on her trail. She paused to catch her breath, senses at attention for the slightest movement, anything that signaled Elhaan’s arrival. The sky was lightening from the oncoming dawn, dark blues turning lighter and lighter with each passing minute. For this moment, the apocalyptic world around her was almost tranquil. 

It didn’t last long. Elhaan burst out from a nearby window, landing in front of her with a deep feral growl. She jumped back, watching the demonic hunter carefully. She twirled Astra in her hand, a show of skill and intimidation more than anything. The two circled each other, breathing heavily as they stared each other down. The world seemed to freeze between the hunter and huntress, basked in the light of the rising dawn. 

“Where’s Dante.” Cassandra whispered. Elhaan laughed, a laugh that shook his body and uneased the demon huntress. 

“If I knew, I would not tell. But, if you win, perhaps the Diabolical Amalgam has the answers you seek...kyahahahaa!” The demon wheezed out a laugh again. Cassandra narrowed her eyes. With a name (or title, one of the two) like that, Cassandra knew his words were completely and utterly rhetorical. Even still, his pride infuriated her.

“You’re a real pain in the ass, aren’t you?” She said, moving just a little to goad Elhaan into attacking. “And I’ve met demons uglier than you!” Elhaan laughed at her attempts to goad.

“You believe you can goad a hunter into attacking his prey?” He hissed, slowly swaying like a snake. She shivered at the memory of Ouroboros, hissing in the underbrush of the forest. Shaking that memory aside, a roar shook through the air. 

“THE MIGHTY GOLIATH!!!” 

Her eyes flicked upward, seeing the crumbled spires of the Red Grave Cathedral above. She wondered if V was dealing with the demon or not. She heard the sound of wet footsteps and returned her gaze to Elhaan, who was charging to her. She stepped aside, the tip of the blade slicing the shoulder of her leather shrug. Taking advantage of his charge, she dashed forward to slice into Elhaan. He twisted his body, the knife meeting Astra. Cassandra’s arms shook as the two blades were locked in a stalemate. He pushed her back, causing her to skid across the wet street. She glanced up, barely able to parry his lunge. She growled softly, slicing Astra into the demon’s back. Blood splattered onto the street, followed by the demon screaming out. The demon’s eyes glowed with a feral hunger, lashing out with the blood-rusted knife. Cassandra parried his slashing, panting softly. In the distance, she could hear Goliath’s roaring and the rumble of falling buildings. 

A particularly forceful slash sent her back, causing her to gasp out as she stumbled back. Elhaan let out a gleeful cackle as she hit the ruined remains of a car with a cry of pain. 

“And now, you will die!” He screeched, leaping forward. She held up Astra, determined to try and deflect his attack. She would’ve, had not a large piece of white stone flown through the air. It collided with him, embedding itself into the ground. His knife clattered, skidding to her feet. She sat there, breathing heavily as she processed what happened to her. It seemed that, by sheer fate, her demonic adversary was dead. She slowly stood, walking to the demon ever so cautiously. Giving the demon’s foot a poke, she noticed the body slowly beginning to disintegrate into ash. 

“He’s dead…” She mumbled, glancing around her. “No way in hell am I gonna be that lucky next time.” She looked to the knife before leaving it, not wanting to touch it. She looked up, seeing the sky’s pink hues becoming light blues. Looking to where the rock came from, she heard one final crash. She began to make her way towards the source of the noise, crawling up the wall that was uplifted street and dirt. She grumbled as she climbed, dirt and rock falling as she made her way up. Lifting herself up onto a ledge, she noticed a building, familiar in it’s ruined state: Red Grave Cathedral. 

_ ‘Shit!’ _ She thought, jumping up to the next ledge. She pulled herself up, getting on the street that was once the drop-off point to the cathedral. She remembered a Christmas past, where she took Dante to a free concert at the Cathedral one wintry Christmas Eve. The devil hunter dozed off in the pew, she remembered that fondly, but she let him slumber until it was time to go home. But now, the cathedral was nothing short of ruined. The last ashes of a demon, she presumed it was Goliath, fluttered past her. Standing where it died was V, who she was thankful that he managed to get to the Cathedral at all, and a face that was oh so familiar. 

“Nero!” Cassandra could barely breathe, seeing the younger devil hunter standing and moving and awake. V perked up at her voice, his gaze following Nero’s to see her. She strode over to him, Astra clattering to the ground. Whatever he said, she didn’t hear as she pulled him into a hug. She clung onto him, arms shaking. He was  _ here _ . She couldn’t say safe and sound, not in the ruined Red Grave City, but he was here and that was all that mattered. She felt Nero slowly wrap his arms around her, his face resting in her shoulder. Cassandra let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. 

“Hey Mom…” He mumbled. 

“I’m glad you’re awake.” She murmured. “My brave brave boy…” He let out a sigh. 

“You were that worried for me?” He asked, as if he was completely unaware of it. 

“Look.” She pulled back a little. “I visited you in the hospital in Fortuna, you were in my thoughts while I was out in the woods of Wales searching for a stupid-ass demon. I’m just glad you’re up and moving. And you even have a shiny new arm!” She smiled as she looked to it, the arm glittering in the morning light before. She heard Nero sigh, his other hand rubbing his nose bashfully. He was about to say something when the sound of screeching tires shot through the air. Nero, V, and Cassandra leapt back as a van with a familiar blazing blue neon sign skidded towards them. Stopping in front of them, a woman with wild brunette hair held back by a plaited cord poked her head out the window. 

“I know, I know, I’m late, shut it! The roads were all clogged.” She huffed before she turned her attention to V. “Hey, you must be V, huh? You gonna get that? Ding, ding, ding, ding! That there. Right by your feet?” Cassandra followed V’s gaze to the piece of demon horn on the ground, assuming it was from the very demon Nero had slain. V spun his cane, the piece of horn landing in her hand. She inhaled the scent of the horn like it was a five-star meal, prompting Cassandra to make a face. 

“Huh. Ok...that’s interesting.” Cassandra commented, crossing her arms. She glanced to Nero, who just rolled his shoulders. The woman glanced up to her, as if finally realizing she was there. Cassandra wondered how much of a one-track mind this stranger had but didn’t say anything. 

“You’re…hold on Nero, don’t say anything.” She made a face, as if trying to remember her name, before perking up. “...Cassandra, right?! Kyrie mentioned you.” 

“The one and only.” Cassandra tilted her head to her. “I’m only going to presume you know where that horn’s been.” The woman grinned mischievously, Cassandra immediately recognizing the mischief in her dark brown eyes. She jerked her head to Nero. 

“Up his b-” 

“Focus on the mission Nico!” Nero yelled. Cassandra could see his flustered face as he went around the van to head inside. Nico only laughed, diving back into the van. She glanced to V, his expression as unreadable as ever, before she made her way to the van door as well. Cassandra let out a sigh, rolling her shoulder. This new friend of Nero was...interesting, to say the least. 


	8. The New Crew

_June 15th, 06:16am_

Cassandra grunted as Nico ran over what felt like every pothole on the streets of Red Grave City, the ruined buildings whipping by them. V didn’t look particularly comfortable either, a hand gripping on the side table with the other tight on his cane. 

“So, uh, Nero, did she make that new arm of yours?” She asked, holding on tight to the back of the passenger seat. “I noticed other arms hanging in the back. Heh, arms.” Cassandra chuckled a little before yelping as Nico raced over a particularly nasty pothole. How the tires of the van didn’t pop from the potholes, Cassandra would never know. 

“Yeah. It gets the job done.” He nodded. She leaned over to get a look at it, holding onto the back of his seat for support. The blue metal glimmered in the morning light, Cassandra noting the silver and gold accents. She glanced back to the arms swaying on the other side of the van before returning her gaze to his arm.

“You haven’t been breaking her hard work, haven’t you?”

“Wha- no!” Nero squawked. “It’s just-” The van suddenly slid to a stop, Cassandra yelping as her back hit the side of the van. She groaned, sliding back to the seat. 

“Owowow...I really wish your partner didn’t hit every pothole in the road…” She groaned. Nero swerved around, worry visible on his face. She waved her hand. “It’s fine. We need to talk anyway about what to do next. I’ll recover.” She looked up, seeing that they had stopped overlooking the ruins of one of the waterways of Red Grave City. Nico got out of the chair, humming softly as she gave the jukebox a tap with her boot. Cassandra watched as it came to life, playing music softly. After a moment, she turned back to Nero and V. “Ok, so what’s the plan.” 

“Can we not ride with that crazy lady!?” Griffon squawked, fluttering out of V’s back and onto the jukebox. Nico let out a huff, earning Cassandra’s attention. Nico angrily gestured to the demonic bird sitting on the jukebox, an unspoken threat. 

“I think we might not have a choice in the matter.” Cassandra hummed. “Play nice, you silly bird.” Griffon let out a huff before looking to V. Cassandra followed his gaze to the poet. 

“We must head to the Qliphoth.” V began. “I believe that is self-explanatory. Along the way, we must take care to destroy its roots. Human blood is the source of his power. We must do everything we can to deny him any more power than what he has gathered.”

“Agreed.” Cassandra nodded. “And if we find the others?” V glanced to her. She could tell he was internally debating on what to answer that question. 

“If we can spare time, then we can help them. Or at the very least, place them somewhere safe.” Cassandra nodded. V smiled a little before turning to Nero. “This endeavor will bear more fruit if we split into two groups.” V said, his tone equal parts cool and final. Nero nodded in agreement.

“And cover more ground. Good idea.” He got up, Cassandra’s gaze following him as he went to grab something on the other side of the van. Nico strode up to him proudly, a bulky red arm in her hand.

“Behold my genius!” Nero reached for the arm, only for Nico to pull it away with her prideful grin turning mischievous. “Ah ah ah! Cash first.”

“All the materials I collect for your little pet projects don't count for anything?” Nero huffed.

“My brilliant badass work is worth every dime, you know it.” Nico retorted.

“Yeah? Well your quality control sucks ass, and you know it.”

“Maybe you don't let the demons smack you around such much?!”

“Ladies ladies you’re both pretty!” Cassandra said loudly, causing the two to look to her. Nico smirked while Nero rolled his eyes.

“Whatever…” He huffed, walking past her. Nico chuckled before looking to her newly-made demon-slaying arm, pride back on her face like the arm was her life-long passion.

“I am truly gifted! It's a work of art!” Griffon let out a laugh. 

“Oh, so you're an artist now, huh?

“Yes I am!” Nico snapped, earning a surprised noise from the demonic bird. “Got any questions, little chicken?”

“I’m not a chicken but I got plenty of questions. That took, what, ten minutes?” Cassandra tilted her head at the arm. “Either you’re insanely talented or you know exactly what you’re doing.”

“Well...my grandmother was called the _.45 Caliber Virtuoso_ , Legendary Gunsmith.” She gestured to the plaque on the van wall, containing a semi-automatic pistol. Cassandra faintly saw the words ‘Nell Goldstien’ engraved in the golden plaque. Cassandra closed her eyes thoughtfully. The Goldstien family was known for being skilled weaponsmiths, even if she only came to them for picking up and dropping off broken guns (except Ebony and Ivory. Those were Dante’s ladies and he could take care of his own damn guns). “I hope to be like her someday. An artist, and a lethal artisan.”

“I have no doubt you’ll be just as good as her.” Cassandra nodded, eyes slowly opening. “How long did it take to get that blue arm up and working?”

“A month. Normally it takes six to get something like that up and running but, you know, can’t keep him held back when people are in danger.” Nico gestured to Nero as she flopped down on the couch. Cassandra smiled at that. 

“That’s Nero for you. I couldn’t be any prouder to consider him my son.” She glanced to where Nero was. He was working, his back to them, but she was certain he was blushing. 

“Ugh, so sappy…” Griffon huffed before making a mock gagging noise.

“Hey!” Nico gestured at the bird with the arm in her hand. “Guess what? I can make pots for cooking chickens too.” The two stared at each other, with Griffon letting out a chicken-like noise to taunt her. Cassandra snorted as Nico lit the cigarette in her hand, eyes still focused on Griffon as if daring him to try anything more. She glanced to V, seeing an amused smirk on his face. He slowly stood, waving the cigarette smoke out of his area. 

“I'll take my leave now.” He said, Griffon quickly turning back into smoke and diving into his master’s back. He went to the door and opened, pausing to glance back to Nero. “And if I don't see you along the way, I'll see you at the bottom of the Qliphoth.” 

“Sure.” Nero nodded, looking to Cassandra as V stepped out of the van. “Cass?” 

“Well, someone’s gotta keep an eye on the client.” Cassandra hummed, standing up. She walked over to Nero, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Just stay safe, if you can. OK Nero?” Her eyes flicked to his arm for a brief moment before refocusing on Nero. A quiet fell between them before Nero nodded. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll meet up again before you know it.” 

“Hmmph, momma’s boy.” Nico commented. Cassandra glanced to Nico, a playful smirk on her face.

“What? I can’t worry over my sweet darling baby boy?” Nero let out a groan, burying his face in his hand. “Alright alright, I’m done embarrassing you.” With that, she opened the door of the van and stepped out, closing the van door behind her. She dashed along the street, catching up to V. V glanced back to her, watching as she caught up to him. 

“I wondered when you would come.”

“Just had to tell Nero that I hoped he would stay safe. I’ve worried about him since his arm got ripped off.” V just hummed at that as the two walked along. As they walked, the van leaving her line of sight, her mind wandered to the nature of the Qliphoth tree. She had never heard of the tree before (but it was a demon tree, that didn’t surprise her) but V seemed to know almost everything about it. She could only wonder what exactly he was. 

Cassandra glanced up as the two entered a tunnel. Instinctively, a part of her knew something was going to happen. She quickly stepped forward, hand pushing against the small of the male’s back to urge him forward. He let out a surprised gasp, only for the tunnel to collapse behind them. He glanced back, staring at the rubble that shifted and settled behind them. 

“Well.” V said, musing over the near-death experience he just had. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. A shame we can’t go back to the van…”

“We have a more...pressing engagement.” V said. Cassandra sighed as he continued down the tunnel. 

“A pressing engagement indeed...more like a date with a freak of a gardener.” She huffed as she followed V. The two walked out of the short tunnel, Cassandra moving her hand off his back to move ahead of him. All around them, Cassandra could sense the presence of demons. The fact that she couldn’t see them yet was what concerned her the most. 

She entered the small yard, noting the graffiti everywhere. She glanced to her left, hearing the sound of falling debris. Demons, more Empusas, crept forward and began to hiss. Astra snapped into her palm at the sight. 

“Oooh, nice job huntress.” Griffon said tauntingly as Shadow came up her side, growling and hissing at the approaching demons. “Hey, got anything that can like make em scram? V’s pretty fragile, wouldn't take much to wipe him out in a sticky situation! _I'm_ just saying running away is okay. It's always okay to run away, if you're not up to the challenge!” Cassandra let out a huff, glancing back behind her to spit something at the demonic avian. V reached into his coat, opening up his book.

“He who desires but act not breeds pestilence." The book snapped shut. “...So it is written.” Cassandra smirked at that, as it had effectively silenced the bird. Griffon let out a groan as he hovered near Cassandra. 

“Ok, Punzie. Just remember this: I’m quite fond of existing and so is V. Get rid of those demons quick, 'cause killing them ain't _my_ shtick!” He soared forward, causing the Empusas to stumble back. “I got your back,'cause dyin' is whack!”

“Duly noted.” Cassandra said, giving Astra a twirl. “Though I doubt you actually have my back, you cowardly little lightning spark.”

“EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME!?” Griffon roared, just moments before Cassandra shot forward, slicing into the Empusa. She rolled to the side, dodging Griffon’s divebomb into the Empusa she just sliced. It screamed out in agony. The other Empusas tried to sneak forward, only to be slashed at by Shadow. The Empusa she had focused on shuddered as it was enveloped in a light purple aura. V dashed forward, his cane empaling the Empusa. Cassandra darted around the yard, grabbing an Empusa arm and pulling it hard behind it. A sick snap ripped through the air, followed by gushing blood from Astra impaling it through the chest. She glanced up, seeing V slice down the third Empusa. She glanced around, seeing two more Empusas crawling over the wall and hissing.

“What an eyesore.” V sighed. Griffon soared forward, wings crackling with electricity, before he let out a battle cry. Around him, a burst of electricity fried the Empusas. They fell to the ground before her and V, twitching and aglow in light violet. The duo rushed forward, quickly ending the insectoid demons. Cassandra took a breath, inhaling the cleared air around them. 

“Well, that’s th-” She turned, only to barely miss Griffon shooting forward. “That. Jeez, that pissy about it, eh?”

“Fuck yeah I am!” Griffon snapped. “Jeez, call me a coward and expect me to fight. It’s only because V likes you so much that I haven’t turned you into a crisp!” 

“It got you moving, didn’t it? And you were saying that we should run away from the Empusas.” Cassandra pointed out. Griffon grumbled at her before Cassandra moved onward, hearing V padding behind her. As they ran through the ruins of the factory (Cassandra only guessed it was a factory, from the industrial equipment around them), she looked out over the flooded waterways. The upheaval of Red Grave City by the Qliphoth tree ached her. The roots were, quite literally, an eyesore that would have to be removed. Perhaps, along the way, they would find the means to take down the tree at its source?

Cassandra didn’t know. She could only hope. And hope was the best thing she had next to Astra. 

As they passed through another small stone yard, Cassandra glanced up to the sky. Much to her surprise, the skies were clear. Suspiciously so. She glanced to V before carefully moving ahead down some stairs. She looked over, seeing that there was no way down aside from a jump to the ground below, a train yard. A trio of hunched over demons, hands for cleavers, mingled around. Cassandra frowned, mentally trying to remember their name. Hell Antenora, she believed V had called them. 

“Descend it is…” V’s silky voice hummed with a sort of exhausted disappointment. 

“You need me to carry you down?” Cassandra asked. “I could do it.” 

“I think not.” She noticed him stiffen, his eyes hardening at the thought. It was almost adorable, as if he was a pouty child who had deemed himself too old to be carried around. Cassandra let out an amused chuckle as she jumped down. She glanced to V, watching as Griffon aided in his descent down. Cassandra dashed forward, slicing into the back of one of the demons. The other two screamed out in wrath, charging forward. She skidded out of the way, sending dirt and pebbles flying. She glanced up, seeing them charge towards V. 

_‘No no no no fuck!’_ She thought, dashing forward. V slipped out of the way in a wisp of demonic energy, the poet holding tight onto an echo of a demonic feline. He snapped his fingers, causing a familiar orb to slam into the trio. She skidded to a halt as the demonic golem, Nightmare, formed to slam the demons into the ground. She glanced to the white-haired poet, guiding Griffon to blast electricity at the trio of demons. Cassandra dashed around Nightmare, dodging the electricity to slice away the demons Nightmare weakened. She turned, seeing more of the Hell Antenoras creep towards them. 

“Left!” Cassandra called, dashing to the right. Shadow bound to the left, turning into a spinning blade to slash away at the Antenora. Cassandra ducked a cleaver swing, Astra slicing at the demon’s flesh in retaliation. Griffon dived at the demon, swirling in the air. Electricity flared out as his beak sliced at the Antenora, the electricity from his wings causing the demon to shake and roar in pain. Cassandra turned around, impaling the Antenora through the heart. The demon shuddered as it fell to the ground, turning into dust. She glanced to V, who was busy stabbing the other Antenora repeatedly until he pulled the cane back for an apparent final time, watching as the demon met a similar fate. She quickly turned around, watching as the last Antenora charged forward. She bounced back, letting it rampage before it bent over in exhaustion. Cassandra and V rushed forward, Cassandra impaling the demon through the heart with Astra before V followed with a second impale. The demon let out a raspy gasp as it fell, meeting the same fate as it’s brethren. She took a deep breath. 

“Ok...demons down…” She looked to the golem, lumbering over to them. She awkwardly reached up to pat it’s hand. “Good...boy?” The golem hummed, it’s single violet eye staring at her. She couldn’t tell if it was regarding her fondly or not. V snapped his fingers. The golem melted before her eyes, returning back to it’s master. “And we’re moving on.” Cassandra said as she looked across the bridge. She quickly noticed a throbbing red bulge surrounded by the black roots of the Qliphoth. It was obvious that it was a weak point. Glancing around, she noticed the roots it was attached to were threaded around the bridge. 

_‘Destroying this is gonna cause this bridge to collapse.’_ Cassandra thought. _‘There’s no way V’s gonna make it across in time if we destroy it now. Unless…’_ She glanced ahead. She squinted, noting that there was something odd on the other side. She couldn’t make out what it was from where they were at. She turned to the poet.

“Hey V? Can you go check that thing out over there? I’ll catch up.” V gave her a confused glance but didn’t question her, dashing on ahead across the metal bridge. Cassandra jogged behind him, up to the bulge, before impaling the blade through the thin red barrier that protected it.

The effect was immediate, as blood burst forth from the ruptured growth. The roots turned to ash before her very eyes, as if their only purpose and source of energy was to transfer blood to the Qliphoth tree. As they faded into dust, the bridge jolted beneath her feet. She saw V whip around, surprised by the noise. Cassandra dashed across the remainder of the falling bridge, panting as metal and train cars plummeted into the waters below. She leapt forward as the bridge fell away beneath her feet, reaching out to grab the edge of the bridge. 

_‘Shit, I’m not gonna make it!’_ She thought, seeing the edge just a hair too far away from her grasp. The handle of a silver cane shot out, causing her to grab instinctively. She heard V straining above her, pulling her over the edge of the bridge onto stable land. She grunted as she pulled herself up, sitting down next to V. She looked across the gap that once was crossed by a bridge.

“Well.” She panted. “No way back, for real this time.” 

“We must press on.” He whispered, slowly getting up. Cassandra nodded in agreement, getting up with him. 

“So, uh...what was over there?” She asked, trying to sound nonchalant. V pulled back his coat, revealing a pocket where a gross looking demon sat comfortably (or so she thought). She made a face. 

“A Nidhogg Hatchling.” 

“So you’re keeping a demon in your pocket.” V hummed quietly at her blunt observation.

“For now, yes.” Cassandra let out a sigh at that, running a hand through her hair. She didn’t even bother to dignify that with a response, moving past him through a door. She scowled at the strong scent of fish and blood. Had this place once been a place where fish were prepared to be sold? It made sense. Cassandra decided not to think about it much farther than that, going down a flight of stairs with V close behind her. Exiting the building, Cassandra let out a sigh. The scent of fish seemed to have become stronger now, much to her ire. 

“It reeks of fish...and I thought visiting Fortuna was bad enough.” 

“Tell me more of Fortuna.” Cassandra let out a surprised hum at his request.

“Fortuna, huh…” She murmured thoughtfully. “Well, Fortuna was once completely shut off from the world. They worshiped the Dark Knight Sparda, up until...six years ago, I wanna say. The big wigs of the religious body had the crazy idea of making the world bow to an imitation of Sparda but Dante and Nero took them down before they could get far. Since then, they’ve opened up to the world and fixed up their city from the damage of the incident. It’s nice...aside from the fish smell.”

“You seem to dislike fish.” V pointed out. 

“I mean, I don’t dislike _eating_ fish. It’s just the smell that gets me.” Cassandra explained. “If it’s too strong, I end up hating it. Could be made by the best chefs in the world but too much fish smell? I won’t eat it.” With that, they continued ahead through the empty streets. The walls were littered with doomsday graffiti, of pleading for forgiveness to whatever gods were listening. It was morbid, too morbid for her tastes. 

And yet, had it not been two months prior when the city was bustling with life? 

She shook the memories out of her head. She didn’t need reminiscing now, not while the city was still ripped apart. 

“I’m surprised we have not encountered demons yet.” V’s voice took her out of her thoughts. 

“Either we’re getting close to a particularly strong one or the destruction of the bridge scared them off.” Cassandra replied dryly. “Either way, it’s a mixed blessing.” V nodded in agreement. Turning the corner, Cassandra immediately noticed the slumbering mass of roots. Above it was some sort of strange structure, writhing in the air in an unnatural manner. Just looking at it made her uneasy. 

“In case you were wondering, that also is a root.”

“Does it have to wiggle like that though?” She asked with a frown. 

“Unfortunately.” He sighed. Cassandra grumbled as she approached the mass. She noticed the rather plant-like growth that clung to the mass. A little strange...but what was stranger was the hissing demonic vine, almost as big as her, sprouted from the mass. It let out a snarl as it charged forward, causing Cassandra to leap to the side. Griffon swept in, pulling V into the air. As the vine returned to the mass, V landed next to her. Sliding out of the mass was a humanoid body, attached to the vines. It seemed to visibly bristle as it came out, blade-like arms glimmering in the morning light. 

“You dodged me! Did you dodge me!?” The demon hissed, it’s body visibly vibrating with every word. Cassandra squinted at it.

“Nidhogg, never liked this guy.” Griffon groaned as he landed on V’s outstretched arm. 

“Nidhogg, huh.” Cassandra hummed, glancing around the mass and the Qliphoth Roots it seemed to have attached itself to. “What a fitting name.”

“You pest. Do I know you?” Nidhogg hissed. 

“Dumb as a bag of rocks. Let's not even mess with this guy.” Griffon continued lazily. “He can't even leave the Qliphoth, anyway. Just a Qliphoth parasite.”

“A shame. With a name like Nidhogg, I expected something more interesting than a mere parasite.” Cassandra added.

“Did you insult me?” The demon growled. “You insult me!”

“Uh-oh. I think he heard us…” Griffon commented. Another one of the hissing vines shot forward, causing the two to leap out of the way. “And he's angry!”

“I'm going to kill you!” Nidhogg roared as the hissing vines moved to be beside the parasitic master. Cassandra smirked. 

“Not on my watch, parasite.” Cassandra taunted, twirling Astra to point it’s end at Nidhogg. She took a glance to V, who was also looking prepared for a fight. Shadow slipped aside him, growling at Nidhogg.

"As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt.” He picked up his cane and pointed it’s end at Nidhogg. Cassandra could feel her smirk widen. “To the contemptible." 

The hissing vines charged. Cassandra rushed forward, hearing Shadow dash behind her. She jumped up, digging Astra into the head of the vine. It screeched in agony. Quickly turning, Cassandra used her thighs to guide it into Shadow, who sliced into it by turning into spinning blades. It was almost like guiding a horse, if that horse was actually more of a giant snake and made of demon plant material.

_‘Scratch that. It’s nothing like a horse.’_ She thought, bouncing up as the vine retreated back into the mass. 

“You use... de-de-demon...? But you...human...?” The demon seemed confused with V’s very existence. She smiled at his confusion, taking the moment to dash to the vine that seemed to size up V like it was a snack. Astra dove into the underside of the vine, causing it to scream out. 

"If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise." V said cooly. Nidhogg seemed only more confused at that. It shook its humanoid core, growling in frustration. 

“Meaning don't try to think too much, shithead!” Griffon screamed out

“Does it do any thinking in the first place!?” Cassandra called out, dragging Astra forward. Sap splattered onto the ground as the vine retreated back to the mass above. She looked up, squinting at it. 

_‘If we don’t take care of that mass, then this thing is gonna be even more of a pain.’_ She thought. She looked to V, who’s jade green eyes were watching Nidhogg carefully. He had one of it’s hatchling in his coat, right? She dashed across the field of battle, ignoring Griffon’s war cries as he dived into the demon that she could barely call sentient. Griffon and Shadow easily held it’s short attention span. It was unlikely that it would notice her as she clamored over the fallen debris. 

She hissed as her hand met the roots of the Qliphoth. It felt wrong to touch it in any capacity. Despite the searing fire that burned against her skin, she continued. Her eyes found a small hole, a place where something tiny could crawl through. Perhaps using the Nidhogg Hatchling against its own father could turn the tide of battle? She bounced back and turned, seeing V barely dodge one of the hissing vines.

“V! The hatchling! Toss it here!” She yelled, just moments before another one of Nidhogg’s vines slammed into the ground. V’s hand dove into his coat, pulling out the hatchling and throwing it. She ran over, catching the hatchling. The feeling of holding the tiny demon was disgusting, barely better than the Qliphoth’s own roots, but she had to bear it. She ran to the tiny hole in the roots, hearing Griffon scream out to grab Nidhogg’s attention. Kneeling down to keep low, she presented the hatchling to the hole. It crawled into the hole, sickly yellow pus squirting out as it made its way inside, before the hole closed up. 

“RUN!” She yelled, hearing the rumbling of the Qliphoth’s roots turning into ash. The ironwork above them, the same ironwork that Nidhogg had attached itself to, began to crumble as the roots disintegrated. She ran away from the demonic parasite, grabbing V’s hand to create distance between them and the demon that was currently getting impaled by iron. The demon screamed out as it died.

“Well.” Griffon huffed, hovering next to V as the two turned to watch the dust settle. “That’s one way to take out Nidhogg.” 

“Taken out by his own children...poetic cinema.” Cassandra said with a smile, running a hand through her hair. 

“That was quite clever, using the hatchling against it.” V said with a smile. Cassandra grinned. As the iron and dust settled, Cassandra’s eyes looked beyond the remains of the demon. 

That victory suddenly felt quite short lived. 

Beyond Nidhogg was a creature of metal, a titanic beast (if one could even call it that). It was obviously demonic in nature. It turned to them, staring at the ruckus that was the fall of Nidhogg before lifting it’s great head to look at her and V. 

“Okay, um, that's not good right now. That's not good.” Griffon stammered. Cassandra stepped back, glancing to V. V calmly turned around, clearly intent on walking away from the demon. “Wait, where--where are you going? Are you running away? That, that's not a good sign.” Griffon squawked. 

“I'm afraid that…” He paused, as if catching his breath from the fight. “That's a little bit more than I can take right now.”

“Damn right. We need to catch our breath-” Before Cassandra could finish her sentence, the demon fired some sort of projectile. She had barely any time to figure out what it was before it landed just inches from them, the ground exploding from the impact. 

“Let's get out of here!” Griffon screamed. Cassandra quickly turned, dashing across the stone as the demon continued to fire. It blasted through the rock like it was nothing, barely missing her and V. The ground suddenly fell from under her and she tumbled, hearing Griffon’s screaming as she went down into the darkness.


	9. Impact

_June 15th, 07:27am_

Cassandra only had one thought in mind: Protect V. 

As she fell, she reached out to pull him into her arms. She grunted as her body hit the ground, instinctively rolling over and using her own body to cover him. She heard the rubble fall around them from the slow strides of the demon above them, her racing heartbeat in her ears, and labored breathing. 

“We're alive! We've made it! It's our lucky day, V!” The demonic bird cried, seeming to pant from the exhilaration of running for their lives. “Let's find a game of cards-” She glanced up, seeing the bird hovering above them. “Ooooh, someone’s getting some!” He teased. She blinked in confusion before hearing his muffled voice beneath her. She glanced down, seeing the poet’s face buried in her chest.

“Oh. Oh shit!” She let go, jumping back away from him. V’s face was a bright red from embarrassment. 

“I…” He let out an exhale, slowly sitting up. “Thank you, for protecting me. But I would like to not be manhandled next time, if you can help it.” 

“Uh, yeah, I’ll see if I can do that.” She said, standing up. She looked around. “Shit...These Qliphoth roots, they're everywhere.” 

“Well, we ARE underground.” Griffon huffed. If he could roll his eyes, she was certain he would do that. 

“Then I guess we have some clearing up to do.” V mused as he slowly stood up. 

“Too bad gardening shears aren’t part of the devil hunter’s toolkit.” Cassandra added dryly. She heard V chuckle at that, stepping forward. 

“Let us focus on finding an exit.” He said. Cassandra nodded in agreement, quickly jogging ahead. It seemed that they had landed in some sort of sewer system. Trash was littered all over the floor, consisting of long-expired coupon sheets and trashy magazines. As she moved forward, scouting out the area as V followed at his own pace, she heard the ground rumble above her from the demon walking. Cassandra growled at the sound above them. As they turned the corner, Cassandra noticed a small group of spindly demons seeming to peruse through the trash that lined the sewage-scented corridor. Their scythes scraped the ground, trying to reap the air and the trash beneath their feet but to no avail. 

“Hell Cainas?” Cassandra breathed. 

“So it would seem.” V hummed. The Hell Cainas, four if she counted correctly, shot their heads up. They let out a hiss, a red glow flaring in their eye sockets. Cassandra gasped, getting into position.

“They’re pissed!” She yelped, moments before one of them charged. Astra snapped into her hand, quickly deflecting the scythe and sending the demon skidding back. She heard the low growl of the demonic feline, seeing black leaping forward to leap into the middle of the crowd of Hell Cainas. Suddenly, the demonic feline turned into a large ball of spikes, impaling the Hell Cainas. Cassandra let out a yelp of surprise, stumbling back.

“Don’t look so shocked! Ha!” Griffon’s voice rang out as he swept forward, electricity bursting from his wings and causing the demons to writhe in their impaled state. A familiar violet aura encompassed them. Cassandra shook her head, quickly getting up as she dashed to the two closest demons. With a swing, she quickly ended their lives. She looked over to V, who dashed across the narrow battlefield to do the same. Shadow retreated back into itself, returning to a very familiar form as V ended the last demon. 

“...is there more that Shadow can do that I’m not aware of?” Cassandra asked, looking to V as Shadow padded to them. She glanced to Shadow and knelt down, giving the feline a poke on their nose. Shadow looked to Cassandra before sticking out their tongue, earning a soft chuckle from Cassandra. “Aside from being cute for a ball of murder and demonic power.” 

“Shadow is an adept shapeshifter, as you have surmised.” V said as they walked down the corridor. He glanced to the side, Cassandra following his gaze to the roots that blocked their way. 

“If you count giant dangerous ball of spikes as ‘adept’, then sure. I would’ve used ‘effective’ instead.” Cassandra said, following the roots until a familiar bulge of red came into view. Shadow pounced on the bulge, clawing at it until it burst, sending blood everywhere. The roots of the Qliphoth quickly turned to dust. “See? Effective.” She leaned down to pet Shadow, who purred happily. V chuckled in amusement before turning, walking to the entryway that was once guarded by the roots of the Qliphoth. Cassandra followed him, curious as to what the Qliphoth roots were guarding.

The two entered what appeared to be where a ship was once being constructed. Scaffolding, shipping containers and iron plates were everywhere around the ship. It seemed that, at one point in time, the ship was being repaired. With the arrival of the Qliphoth though, she could only imagine the hurry that the shipbuilders were in, fleeing for their lives from the demonic tree.

“This ship is awfully big…” Griffon commented. Cassandra looked up, humming as she took in the immense size of the partially repaired ship. 

“The fishy scent makes sense now. That Qliphoth root and Nidhogg must have made their home in a fish market.” She walked over to the hull of the ship, running her hand along the dry metal. “Which means this was either going to be a freight ship or a fishing ship. My guess is on the former, too big to haul tons of fish safely.” 

“Safely?” Griffon asked, hovering over her shoulder. 

“Well, it gets dangerous on the high seas. Or so I’ve heard. If your ship capsizes, then your crew falls in mortal peril.” She explained. “And that’s not considering what lies in the ocean depths that isn’t sea life.” She looked to the demonic bird, who seemed ready to ask a question when a skittering noise caught their attention.

“An Empusa.” V said quickly, pointing to the looming shadow just beyond a stack of iron plates. Griffon soared forward, wings suddenly aglow with electricity. The Empusa screamed out and fled, earning a cackle from Griffon. 

“Wiiimp!” 

“Don’t count it as a wimp yet. Might be the only demon with a modicum of intellect among it’s kind.” Cassandra warned. 

“I doubt it. It will have run to other Empusas for reinforcements. We must be careful.” V stated. Cassandra nodded, climbing up the stacks of stacked iron plates. The Qliphoth roots seemed to have entwined around the ship. She heard the sound of beating wings before V seemed to fly ahead of her. Of course, she knew Griffon helped. She grunted as she made her way up. When she finally caught up to the poet, she spotted the exposed bulb of blood. She let out a sigh of relief, before the screeching sound of metal against metal caught her attention. The demon’s leg pierced the roof above, sending the two back in shock.

“Whoa! What in the world!?” Griffon squawked in surprise. The leg grasped mindlessly, piercing the bulb of blood and causing the roots of the Qliphoth to rapidly wither into dust. Cassandra stood there, catching her breath from the shock.

“I know that the demon helped us in that moment...but I really hate his prancy-ass shit.” Cassandra breathed as the clanging continued over their heads. The demon took back it’s leg, leaving the two alone and safe for now. 

“But the way is open for us.” V breathed, pointing his cane. Across from them, a trail of Qliphoth dust led to a pathway up some shipping containers. 

“Can you get up there?” She asked. 

“I am not made of glass, Cassandra.” He replied dryly. 

“Could’ve fooled me, skin and bones.” 

“I suggest you cool your fire, lest you burn yourself.” 

“Will you two stop!?” Griffon squawked. “You sound like an old married couple!” Cassandra let out a laugh before she went to the iron plates they had used as platforms to get up to the bulb. She looked to V, watching as he leapt down. Taking a step back, she turned around to follow the trail of Qliphoth dust. She winced every time the demon above took a step. She glanced to the ceiling, jumping up to get up the ledges of the shipping containers. Hoisting herself up, there was a resoundant crash before the leg swept down, nearly getting her in the head. She yelped in surprise at the swipe, barely missing falling down onto V. 

“That’s it!” She yelled, grabbing a nearby chain. She could get hurt all she wanted but she couldn’t let V get hurt. One swipe from the demon looked like it would crush his ribcage in. “Griffon! We’re taking this fucking bastard down!” She tossed it into the air. Griffon squawked in surprise, taking the chain into his talons. 

“Not sure how you’re gonna do that from here but I ain’t gonna stop you!” He yelled, flying up to circle around the leg of the demon. He threw the chain, now coiled around the leg of the demon. She grabbed the other end and pulled, growling as she did so. The demon leg lifted, causing her to cry out in surprise as she was pulled upward. 

“Shit shit shit bad plan bad plan!” She yelled, skidding across the layered iron plates that made up a floor. She felt something grab at her skirt, pulling back to keep her grounded. She glanced back, seeing Shadow growl as the feline pulled back on her skirt. She tried to pull back but, even with Shadow’s aid, she knew that it wouldn’t do any good. She let go of the chains, yelping as she tumbled back onto the demonic feline. From above, it seemed that the demon had toppled over. The chains whipped through the air, one of the links hitting her just above the eye. She cried out, holding her face as she tumbled to the ground. She hissed as the world seemed to shake around them from the demon’s fall. The sound of iron plates clattering to the ground rang out, followed by Griffon’s surprised squawking. She heard footsteps, followed by a familiar voice ringing out in surprise and concern.

“Mom!” 

“Fuck...Nero! I’m fine!” She turned back, seeing the devil hunter crouched over the hole that the demon tore up with it’s ungraceful descent, aglow from the morning sun behind him. It seemed a part of the metal above them had fallen away. She squinted, seeing Nero looking just a little more battered than when she last saw him. “Just got cocky!” 

“What're you doing down there anyway?” Nero asked as she got on her feet. She pulled back her hand, seeing blood. She frowned at the sight. Shadow padded over to her, licking the blood off her hand. 

“You didn't think you did all that by yourself did ya?” Griffon squawked. She looked up, feeling blood trickle down the side of her face. “You better say thanks to your mom!” Nero looked to the demonic bird with a smirk, a playful smirk that Cassandra could recognize from anywhere.

“Ya know, I bet you taste like chicken.”

“Why you ungrateful sonuva-” Griffon looked ready to surge forward, broken only by Cassandra’s amused chuckle. “Wha- Are you agreeing with him!?”

“I’m not saying anything.” Cassandra tried to hold back her laughter before yelping at Shadow licking the blood off her face. Nero chuckled, probably amused at a giant demonic cat being particularly affectionate towards her. V simply let out a hum, followed by a groan from the demonic bird. 

“I’ll leave this to you.” He said at last to Nero. He picked up his cane and reached over, gently tapping Cassandra’s shoulder. “We must press on.” 

“Yeah, we should.” She nodded, taking the cane’s handle. V pulled back, helping her up. She looked up to Nero. “Take care of the demon for us, ok?” 

“I’ll squish the cockroach before you know it.” He said with a grin. Cassandra beamed at that before following V down the scaffolding and piled iron plates. He turned the corner, Cassandra quickly seeing the bulb of the Qliphoth. V pierced the bulb with ease, causing the roots to disintegrate once again. 

“It never ceases to surprise me how quickly they disappear.” Cassandra commented. 

“Their only purpose is to transport blood to the Qliphoth.” V explained as they passed through narrow corridors of rusted iron and shipping containers. “But that bulb is the heart of the roots. Pierce the heart and they turn into dust.” Cassandra frowned at that. 

“Well, a localized heart. The true heart of the roots is the Qliphoth itself.” She sighed. “But now we’re getting into technicalities.” A quiet fell between the two as they climbed up another set of shipping containers. She glanced to V, watching as Griffon helped him up with a complaint about him being high maintenance. Given how fragile he looked, she wasn’t surprised that he would be high maintenance to care for. 

But she would dare not complain about it. 

As they jumped down the containers, Cassandra noticed a pair of Empusa chittering to each other. Perhaps one of them was the very same that Griffon had chased off earlier. Cassandra approached, letting Griffon help V down. The two Empusas turned to her, hissing angrily at her presence. They looked ready to charge at her, their arms ready to slice.

They didn’t get the chance to harm her.

Leaping onto them, a familiar demon, an Empusa Queen, squashed them. Cassandra lept back, arm outstretched to keep V behind her. The Empusa Queen devoured the Empusas before roaring at them, the red crown glowing ominously. 

“It’s angry!” Cassandra yelled, Astra snapping into reality. V slipped away from behind her, the Empusa Queen obviously more focused on Cassandra than on the poet. The Empusa Queen swung its arms out at her, deflected by Cassandra swinging Astra. 

“No shit it’s pissed!” Griffon squawked, wings charged with electric power. “Let’s break a leg! Or two, ahahah!” Cassandra smirked. Glad to see that, despite the situation of tight corners and a giant demon, Griffon was in good spirits. With a twirl of Astra, she sliced off one of the arms of the Empusa Queen. It roared out in anguish. Cassandra ducked out of the way as it charged, making a sizable dent in the shipping containers. Shadow pounced onto the demon’s back, turning into spinning blades that sliced into the demon’s back. Cassandra darted forward to slice into the demon’s abdomen. The demon screamed, it’s red crown flaring up anew. It began to pursue the huntress, slashing the air wildly as it tried to get closer. Cassandra stepped backwards with each slash, countering it with Astra. She grunted, glancing back to find herself backing into a wall. 

“Griffon! Shadow! Back me up here!” She called. 

“INCOMING!” Lighting burst all around her, causing the Empusa Queen to roar out as a purple aura encompassed it’s body. It suddenly shook before falling onto its front. Cassandra quickly dodged out of the way, watching as V sliced the abdomen of the demon. With a grunt from him, he stumbled forward, the blood of the demon spilling onto the ground. Cassandra rushed to his side, a hand resting on his back to support him. 

“Careful there V. Blood’s slippery.” 

“Thank you for the concern.” He sighed. Griffon soared to his side, huffing.

“Jeez, what was up with your swordwork lady?” He asked, settling on V’s shoulder and giving her a look. “Can’t handle a big ole demon?”

“Shut your crap, chicken.” Cassandra hissed, causing the bird to lean back. She began to lead the way, casting a glance to Astra. As much as she hated to admit it, something was up with the blade. Was it something Nidhogg did? Or a sign of the Qliphoth’s overwhelming power in the city? She frowned at the thought of something being up. Mentally dismissing the blade, she continued onward past the towering iron plates. She couldn’t think long about that, not with so much still on the line. 

She heard Shadow bound to her, letting out a chuff. She looked down and reached down to pet the demonic feline. 

“Sorry Shadow. There’s just quite a bit on my mind.” She sighed. Shadow didn’t respond (not that Shadow _could_ ) and dashed to the Qliphoth bulb ahead of them. The shadowy feline changed forms as it slashed and tore into the Qliphoth bulb. It burst and, once again, the roots turned into dust. She looked to the side, seeing a hole leading down into darkness. V walked to the edge of the hole, staring down at it with a sigh. 

“Deeper we go, eh?” Cassandra asked, holding out her hand. V stared at her outstretched hand before carefully taking it. She pulled him into her arms, earning a surprised noise from him, before jumping down into the hole.

They landed in what appeared to be another sewer, much to Cassandra’s dismay. At least they didn’t land in the tiny trickle that was sewer water. She let go of V, letting him take a look around. Rubble was laid in piles around them. Cassandra glanced back, seeing more trash piled ungracefully behind them. The sewer was quiet, with the only sound being the movement of water next to them. She could say less about the stink. 

“The only way to go is forward.” Cassandra sighed before pausing. “Well. Isn’t that familiar?” 

“Surely there must be an exit somewhere.” V mused as he moved ahead. Cassandra followed him, her thoughts drifting to the state of her rapier. As much as she wanted to stop and figure out what was going on, time was something they did not have. Not while the demon tree stood, not while Red Grave City was still in danger, not while Dante and Lady and Trish were still missing. 

Not while Nero was fighting for his life. 

The hissing of demons roused her from her thoughts. She looked up, seeing a pair of Empusas coming towards them in the narrow corridors. They crept forward, assessing them like prey. Cassandra held her hand out, to summon Astra again. The delay was noticeable, the rapier seeming to take more energy out of her to summon again. She groaned, stepping back as the Empusas charged. 

“Slice them!” V commanded, a restrained panic in his voice. Shadow burst out from him, the force of it’s burst sending the Empusa back. Cassandra stepped away from the fight, holding out her hand. A weak flicker of light formed. She growled, focusing her energy. It shot out, hitting the Empusa Shadow was slicing up. 

_‘The hell is going on?!’_ Cassandra thought in frustration as Astra finally appeared in her other hand. She made a mental note to not dismiss Astra for the time being, until she had a moment to figure out what was going on. She dashed forward, aiming for the other Empusa. 

“Hey toots, leave the brawling to us!” She heard Griffon call but ignored him to aim for the Empusa. 

_‘Like hell I’m going to be left behind.’_ Cassandra thought as she sliced through the Empusa. She growled as the other Empusa charged, moving forward to piece the Empusa’s midsection. She pulled upward, slicing the demon in twain. Kicking the demon corpse away, she turned to meet Griffon.

“Woah! Keep the sharp pointy thing to yourself!” He squawked. “Look, I’m just looking out for you because V-” Griffon let out a surprised yelp as he was pulled back.

“That’s enough.” V said cooly, stepping towards her. “I would advise you to not push yourself-”

“I’m a big girl, I know what I’m doing.” 

“If you count ‘running into obvious danger’ as knowledge of your actions, then you are more foolish than I had thought.”

“Foolish, me?!” Cassandra snapped. “I’m not Dante!” 

“If I were blind, you could have fooled me.” V replied before continuing on. Cassandra let out a frustrated huff as she followed him. The pathway through the sewers continued on but Cassandra noticed that the area they were in was covered in graffiti. If that were the case, then they were either close to the surface or life was still hiding out in the sewers of the city, away from the demons that stayed to the surface. She doubted that last part, if the presence of the Empusas were any indication. As she followed V, the poet turned left. She followed, finding a spot that had collapsed into the sewer system. It led outside, earning a soft sigh of relief.

“Finally, we’re out of that terrible place.” She sighed, quickly climbing up to inhale the fresh air. She looked around, noting the promenade they had surfaced. She vaguely remembered this particular place, glancing to the archways and the courtyard. It was once a nice place to rest and relax, with a quaint fountain and sometimes food vendors to sell snacks to the populace. She sighed and turned to V, who seemed to be focused on something else. 

Oh right, the Qliphoth roots that lay beyond the archway. They had to deal with that.

She followed V to the archway, glancing to Griffon as he made himself known.

“Phew, we’re outside. I hope I never end up in a place like that!” He panted. 

“I agree. That was a shitshow.” Quite literally, she mused, as she passed a glance to Astra. From all appearances, it was as sharp as ever. But there was a far more pressing matter, the Qliphoth beyond the archway. She could see a pair of demons, deep in conversation. V let out a soft gasp, pulling Cassandra with him to press against the wall. The two peered out from around the corner. Cassandra frowned at the demon above them, a demon sorceress that appeared to be fused with some sort of giant demonic bird. Even though it wasn’t fully grown, by all appearances, Cassandra didn’t trust it. Even an infant demon could be a force to be reckoned with. The feminine demon (if the two extra heads were any indication about it’s associated gender, but she wasn’t sure if demons cared about such things in the first place) hovered over a cauldron of some kind. It didn’t seem to notice her and V, at least not yet nor verbally so if it did notice.

“Malphas... of course, more trouble.” Griffon growled before his head tilted at the second demon, looking like a corrupted knight sitting atop a demonic horse with a mane of blue fire. “Not sure about that one, though. Never seen him before-” She quickly picked up Griffon, grabbing his beak and forcing it shut. She pressed her back against the wall, breath held. V glanced to her before returning his gaze to the demon, Malphas, atop the roots of the Qliphoth.

“Search for the devil sword Sparda. You know where it is.” The demonic sorceress hissed. “He told me to leave it be, but I'm afraid it still concerns me. As long as there is a blood descendant of Sparda... I cannot take any chances.” Cassandra let out a soft noise, realizing who exactly Malphas was speaking of: Nero. She couldn’t let the demon try to take out Nero in its quest to find the devil arm. “Do you understand!? Find it and destroy it!” Malphas paused. “And crush anyone who stands in your way. There is another who will foil our plans, if the last words of Ouroboros have something to say about it. If you find the Wild Rose, strike her down first. Only then will his reign be truly realized.” The demoness opened a portal and guided her mount through, leaving the demon alone. Cassandra let go of Griffon as V stepped forward, making sure to slam the end of his cane into the cobblestone to get the demon’s attention. The demon glanced back, guiding his horse to face V and Cassandra. Cassandra stepped forward, hovering behind V. Staring down the demon’s seemingly forged scowl, she was reminded of a macabre knight. There was something so familiar about the knight’s aura, she couldn’t quite place it. She tightened her grip on Astra as the knight’s sword flared with electricity. 

“I see. So that’s how it is.” Cassandra murmured, stepping forward to act as a barrier between V and the demon. She gave Astra a spin. 

"You will die..." The knight hissed.

“Make it a gentle death, why don’t you?” Cassandra taunted. “If you can even catch me.” She dashed forward, the knight turning it’s demon horse to follow her. Cassandra heard a familiar roar, Shadow’s roar, as the demonic feline bounced forward. Cassandra quickly rolled out of the way of the knight’s charge, watching as Shadow was bucked off the horse. Before her eyes, the horse seemed to disappear, its echos racing across the battlefield. Suddenly the horse appeared before V. The demonic knight swung his sword down, only for it to miss. Griffon had pulled V away from the swing just in time. 

“V!” Cassandra called. “The fuck kind of demon is that!?” 

“Geryon!” V called. Griffon let out a squawk.

“I thought Dante killed it already!” 

“Either there’s more than one or this horse knows some tricks! Time to take it down for real-” The horse let out a whinny before an orb of dark blue shot out. Cassandra tried to dodge out of the way but was caught. 

Suddenly, everything felt slow, like she was moving through tar. She tried to move, despite the strange magic being used against her. The demonic knight’s sword thrust forward. She squeezed her eyes shut but even that took considerable effort. The pain of the sword slicing at her side even was on a delay, an agonizing painful delay. The orb suddenly decayed, sending her flying. She yelped as she rolled around on the ground, watching as Shadow leapt between her and the knight. It roared out, causing the Geryon to rear up in surprise. Cassandra dashed out of the way as Shadow turned into a giant spikeball, a hand pressed against her bleeding side. She focused her energy to heal the wound, feeling it slowly stitch up. The tear would have to be fixed later, right now she needed to make sure that the Geryon didn't smell blood on her. She knew demons thrived on the scent of blood and didn’t need the demon to go feral from the smell. 

“Reap what you sow.” V growled, snapping his fingers. Nightmare slammed onto the ground in front of the demonic knight and Geryon. Cassandra dashed forward as the sudden appearance of Nightmare sent the rider and demonic horse flying. The knight rolled onto the ground, quickly getting up and letting out a warped pant. It lifted up it’s sword, just moments before Cassandra slammed Astra against it. The blades strained against each other, the electric power of the knight’s blade against the holy power of Astra. Cassandra groaned, trying to keep up the pressure. It was like fighting against an immovable object. 

Something snapped.

Cassandra only felt a searing agony as an explosion of energy sent her backward. Her head hit something hard, sending her into darkness. The last thing she could faintly hear before the darkness took her was a voice, calling for her, before silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This escalated quickly.


	10. Your Reason to Fight

_ ‘There’s...there’s wind blowing. It’s warm...’ _

Cassandra groaned softly, her green eyes blinking awake. Her gaze met tall grass, swaying in the breeze. Beyond that, flickering in her vision, was golden light. Was it dawn? Dusk? She couldn’t tell. She slowly sat up, looking around. She seemed to be in a field of tall grass, the faint scent of the sea wafting over the grass. 

“Am I dead?” Cassandra whispered to the breeze. She remembered being in Red Grave City, fighting against the demonic knight, a burst of power, a cry, and then darkness. She looked at her hands, the left scarred, and started to tremble at the thought. “No...no, I can’t be.” 

“Not yet.” A voice spoke. Cassandra whipped around. Across from her was a woman in white robes, lined with golden thread. Her blond hair was tied in a braid, flowers placed in the braid. Her blue eyes, a familiar shade of dark blue, regarded her warmly. 

“Saint Deirdre…” Cassandra whispered. She glanced down to Deirdre’s left hand, noticing the scars that littered it. She glanced down to her own left hand, noticing the scars were mirrored. “What happened.” 

“Our bond was severed. Astra shattered when you fought that demon. It threw you back and brought you here to me.” 

“So I did die.” She whispered. 

“Not...exactly.” Deirdre’s voice was hesitant, something Cassandra noticed. “You have a choice, actually.” She stepped forward, taking Cassandra’s scarred hand. “The shattering of Astra has severed us. This is your only chance to enter the Green Havens, no matter your sins.” Cassandra blinked in confusion. “But if you choose to return back to the world of the living, then I cannot guarantee you will return to the Green Havens when your time is up for good.” Cassandra looked away from Deirdre, finally noticing a verdant valley stretching wide before them. She squinted, seeing pastoral cottages littering the landscape, the scent of warm bread reaching her with the distant sea salt. 

“If I stay...I could see my mother again, right?” She asked. Her mind drifted to the memory of her own mother, wasting away before her eyes before she finally passed. Deirdre nodded. She returned her gaze to the pastoral valley below. It was tempting, so very tempting to run into the Green Havens, hug her long-dead mother, and  _ stay _ .

But she couldn’t. 

As much as she wanted to see her mother again...she couldn’t move. She couldn’t will herself to go down into the serene valley below them. She turned to Deirdre, who seemed to notice the hesitation. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“There’s people who need me. I have a...I have a son, Deirdre. A brother. Friends who need me.” She said, glancing to the valley once again. “I can’t leave them. Even if it means wasting the only chance I have to enter the Green Havens.” She stepped away from the valley’s edge. “I have to go back. Now.” She turned her eyes to Deirdre, dark green meeting blue. “And if you try to stop me, I’ll fight back.” A quiet fell between saint and huntress, the two still staring at the other intensely. Finally, the saint let out a sigh. 

“I see. Your conviction is strong.” She admitted, stepping past her. “The light still flickers inside you, my final blessing. Use it wisely.” With those parting words, she walked away from Cassandra. Cassandra let out a sigh.

“Sorry mom...my family’s more important than a happy afterlife.” She whispered, hoping that the gentle wind would carry her apology to her mother. “I love you but...Nero needs me. Dante needs me.” She stepped back, away from the edge of the Green Havens, before it felt like the world was falling beneath her feet. She let out a cry of surprise before falling into the darkness.

_ 'Welcome to the darkness, child of light.' _ A voice whispered. Cassandra wasn’t sure who it was from, it certainly wasn’t from the saint that had just left her. But it still sounded feminine, motherly even. 

_ ‘Who are you?’ _

And then she woke up with the worst  _ ache _ she ever had.

“Oh fuuuck meee!” She whined. She didn’t know where to hold, it felt like her whole body was hurting. 

“Oh yeah, she’s up.” A familiar voice made her open her eyes. Sitting across from her, just casually munching on a bag of trail mix was Lady. She sat up, hissing at the burning pain that shot up her body. She was in the van, laying on the van’s couch. The rain was pouring gently upon the roof. 

“Lady! You’re alive!” She wheezed. “And ow fuck...everything hurts.” 

“V said you took a nasty blow from a demon you two were fighting. He thought you were dead. So did Nero…” Lady looked away. Cassandra let out a strained smile.

“I’m not leaving that easily.” She looked around. “Where are they? What time is it?” 

“Nero and V left a while ago.” She looked to the clock on the dashboard of the van. “Nine thirty.” Cassandra shot up, only for her legs to fail her. She yelped in surprise as she collapsed onto the ground.

“Fuck! I need to go after them…”   
  


“I’m sorry, what you need is rest.” Nico spoke up. She looked up, seeing her behind her workbench. “I wouldn’t make you go dig a path for the van.” 

  
“...argh.” Cassandra slowly sat up. “You made Lady do it then?” She asked as she made her way back to the couch she had just slept on for who knows how long. Nico didn’t reply, probably because she would incriminate herself if she said anything. Cassandra let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair, before sitting up. She held out her left hand, noticing immediately that it was scarred. She focused her power to call Astra.

Nothing happened. There was nothing to call for. She frowned before straining to call the blade once more. Once again, nothing appeared in her hand.

“Astra...it’s gone. It’s really gone.” She murmured, lowering her hand. Lady stared at her. “Well...fuck. Guess I gotta start using guns.” She said with a mirthless chuckle, trying to lighten up the situation. 

“You nearly collapsed on us! And nearly died.” Lady pointed out. 

“And I’m not gonna be left behind. Not while that stupid fucking tree is still up in the sky.” Cassandra promptly stood, ignoring the fierce fire of pain still burning through her body. “Not while Nero’s running out there getting his ass beat by demons. Not while V,  _ our client _ , is-”

“Alright alright, I get it.” Lady stood up, a mostly amused smirk on her face. “You don’t need to give me a speech.” Cassandra let out a sigh as she slowly sat back down on the couch. “Dante’s gonna be upset when he finds out.” 

“Unfortunately, he will find out.” Cassandra huffed, leaning back on the couch. Her gaze moved to her scarred hand. She heard Lady walking over to where Nico was working. “I’ll deal with it when we find him. And we will find him. I know it.” 

“Why do you say that?” Lady asked, quickly putting a gun together from Nico’s parts. She seemed to ignore the objections of the weaponsmith. 

“Because you’re alive. If you’re alive and kicking, then so much Trish and Dante. You’re just as hardy as those two.” Cassandra said. Lady smiled at that as, as quickly as she went over to Nico’s workbench, she returned to Cassandra with a semi-automatic pistol. 

“Alright, you two go outside if you’re gonna do any fancy gunwork.” Nico warned. “I got a blade to finish up for Cass.” 

“Cash or credit?” Cassandra asked, taking the offered pistol. “And who’s the lucky lady that gets the money?” 

“We’ll talk about money after the tree falls.” Lady piped up. “You know your way around a gun Cass?” 

“I’ve used a couple in my lifetime.” Cassandra replied. “Dante made sure I knew how to use one in case something happened.” Like now, she left unsaid. “Got a hostler and some ammo?” 

“Catch!” Lady tossed her a leather holster. Cassandra grabbed it from the air and began to wrap the holster strap around her waist. She stuck the gun into the holster. 

“What cha working on Nico?” Cassandra asked. 

“Got some demon metal from the cockroach, gonna make something nice for you.” Nico said with a grin. “Nero’s gonna get on my ass if I let you leave this van without  _ something _ .” With that, she went right back to work. Cassandra leaned back, watching Nico work away. 

“Cass…” Lady said softly. “That V guy...what do you think of him?”

“He’s suspicious, straight up suspicious. He knows things about the situation that we don’t, he knew this demon tree was called the Qliphoth for starters. I’ve got dozens of old demonology books but I never heard of the demon tree. He knew everything about the demons we face, aside from that demon knight.” She let out a sigh, crossing her arms. “But Morrison said he hired Dante so I keep my mouth shut.” 

“Yeah…” Lady sighed. “Nero thought the same of him. Useful but...we just don’t know.” 

“So, where’d the boys go?” 

“They went ahead, through the subway system I believe.” Lady explained. “Unless they call-” A shrill ringing ripped through the air. Cassandra quickly got up, grabbing the phone on the dashboard. 

“Yo!”

“Mom?” Came Nero’s surprised voice. “I...you’re alive?”

“Fuck yeah I am!” Cassandra huffed. “You think your mom’s gonna leave you to fight this stupid houseplant all alone? I...” She took in a breath. “I might’ve lost Astra for good.” Nero gasped at that. “But I’m not gonna let that stop me. Not while you’re fighting for your life out there.” 

“Mom...hey, is Nico busy?” Cassandra looked back to Nico.

“Hey Nico! You raring to drive?” 

“Gimme a minute!” Nico huffed. Cassandra jumped at the small explosion on the table. “Got it!” She lifted up the hinged counter and strode across the van. Cassandra looked to the sword that she was holding in her hand, obviously something she was quite proud of, given the wide grin on her face. “Fallen Star, at your service.” The sword in question looked like a short sword, made of warped black metal. The pommel of the sword had a pale pink crystalline orb. Cassandra took the handle of the sword, shivering from the demonic energy at her very fingertips. It stung a little but, much to her surprise, it didn’t burn her skin. 

_ ‘I...I really am human.’ _ She thought before tightening her hand on the metal.  _ ‘And I am not wasting this chance.’ _

“Hold onto that. It’s a bit fragile.” Nico said. Cassandra nodded, stepping aside while Nico took the phone and slid right into the driver’s seat. “Sit tight momma’s boy!” She slammed the phone into the receiver and slammed hard on the gas. Cassandra let out a gasp of surprise as Nico drove through the streets of Red Grave City. She jumped into the passenger seat, holding tight onto the armrests. Nico was focused on the road, racing down abandoned streets. She turned hard, Cassandra letting out a scream as part of the van lifted off the ground from the harsh turn. Nico let out a hollar as the van lurched back to the ground, still at it’s breakneck speed. Cassandra glanced up, watching as Nico was driving right to a wall. She let out a scream as it burst through the wall. After a few hard breaths, the dust cleared. She lowered her arms to see where exactly they ended up.

They were in what looked to be the entranceway to a subway station. Even here, the roots of the Qliphoth snaking though the room. The lights of the van illumated the floor, littered with ceiling tiles and dirt and stained blood. She was surprised the van had not crumpled in on itself, killing them all. She heard footsteps before the door swung open. Cassandra quickly got up, barely catching Nero as he collided into her. 

“Woah!” She yelped, taking a step back from the hard hug. “Nero…” She wasted no time hugging him back. She glanced up, watching as V stepped inside the van. She spotted the relief in his jade green eyes. 

“You made it…” He murmured, stepping forward. 

“I can’t go down.” Cassandra shot back. 

“I would hate for you to fall.” He murmured, as if his mind was somewhere else. “No one should lose their mother to demons. No matter who they obey.” V’s gaze was to Nero, a distant gaze, as if recalling a memory of the past. Cassandra pulled back, seeing Nero’s eyes were wet, as if he was trying not to cry. She gently held his face, staring into Nero’s blue-grey eyes.

“I’m not going down. I promise.” She whispered. 

“If y’all are gonna get all mushy, get it out of the van.” Nico huffed. Lady elbowed her in the side, earning an oof from Nico. Cassandra grabbed the demon-metal sword that had fallen to the ground.

“Well, I’ll take the comforting of my dearest baby boy out with me. Thanks for the sword. I’ll try not to get whacked around by the demons like he does.” She let go of Nero to let him talk with Nico about his weaponry needs. She pushed past V, stepping out into the subway entrance. She looked at the newly forged sword in her hand, only imagining how brittle it was. But it was what she had on such short notice. Nico really was a miracle arms-woman. She heard V step out of the van. She turned, seeing him hover near the van’s door. Griffon sprouted up from his shoulder, staring at her wide-eyed.

“Holy shit, I literally thought you were dead from the blast. You  _ looked _ dead!” Griffon squawked. “The big bad kitty never sprinted that fast before, carrying you to the van!” He poked her shoulder with his beak before blinking in surprise. He looked to her arm, to the demon-metal sword in her hand, and then back to V. V was silent, not even looking at her. 

“Look, V, don’t feel guilty about what happened, ok?” She reached over, her hand carefully resting on his boney shoulder. He glanced to her scarred left hand, saying nothing as Nero stepped out of the van. 

“So, what’s the plan?” She asked Nero. 

“The same as usual. Keep going for that stupid houseplant.” 

“Nothing on Trish or Dante’s location?” She asked. Nero shook his head. “And I bet Lady didn’t know anything either…” She sighed. “But she’s alive. She lived. I’m taking that as hope that Dante and Trish are out there still. She’s just as hardy as them.” 

“The longer we stay here, the most power he gains.” V spoke up. Cassandra noticed his voice was painfully neutral, even despite her being  _ right there _ . Was it guilt that he was trying to hide? V took up his cane and began to walk away from the van, up the stairs of the subway station. Cassandra followed him, hearing Nero padding close after her. 

When they surfaced from the subway station, Cassandra let out a soft sigh at the devastation around them. She recognized this part of Red Grave City, the old town center. This part of Red Grave City was quite old, older than all of them combined she imagined. But what really took her attention was the tall structure looming over all: a grey tower, looking almost tree-like from where they were. Above it was swirling dark red clouds, as if the exposed branches (or roots, perhaps?) were gathering them to create an intimidating aura across the sky. The morning sun peered through the clouds, lighting the area in pale yellow light.

“That’s it V. That’s the Qliphoth.” Cassandra whispered, turning to look at V. V’s gaze was also at the demonic tree tower. He looked at her and nodded, confirming her suspicions. “The real deal...so all we need to do is get closer.” 

“That’s right.” Nero huffed as he walked down the ruined cobblestone streets. Cassandra let out a surprised noise and quickly followed him, the path leading downward into what was once a beautiful theater. She recognized it as the Red Grave Opera House, a prestigious building that had been home to many operas and musicals and productions. Now it was ruined, a husk caused by the Qliphoth. She glanced back, seeing V, atop of Shadow, following them down into the crumbling shell of the building. Cassandra looked to the stage, noticing the blue flames in the make-shift torches.

“Will-o’-the-wisp? Here?” Cassandra wondered aloud. Nero looked back at her in confusion.

“Will o’ the what now?”

“Will-o’-the-wisp. It’s a fairy light that leads travellers to their doom. In short, if it’s what I think it is, it’s not a good sign for us.”

“But we have to keep going.” V said. Cassandra jumped a little at how close he was to her. Nero nodded in agreement. The trio stepped forward, quickly getting up onto the stage. 

A sudden noise above caused Cassandra to gasp. Nero instinctively held out his hand and stepped forward as something human-like fell from the ceiling. It landed, the light of the torches and the faint sunlight illuminating it’s metallic like body. Cassandra squinted at the sight, reminded of the demonic knight her and V faced earlier. It was cast in metal, a sickly green hue. It’s horns, pulsating red, were quite intimidating if Cassandra thought so herself. The demon stood, revealing it’s lack of a face, aside from a single creepily human mouth. She quickly noticed it’s violet-veined broadsword. Stepping from the shadows behind it, four more armored demons stepped out from behind the first, cast in silvery black armor. At their side was a sword, similar to the one the first was holding but shorter. In their other hand was a shield, bearing an empty face. 

Totally not creepy. Not at all.

“Nice, getting the band back together, huh?” Nero chuckled at the demons. Despite his jest, Cassandra could tell Nero was still protective of her. He barely moved away from her and his own Devil Breaker (she was pretty sure it was called that) flickered with electricity. She glanced to V, noticing his lowered head.

“V?” Cassandra asked softly. 

“What evil lurks…” V whispered, his voice containing such venom that it surprised Cassandra. “I must destroy.”

“I thought that was the plan all along.” Nero chuckled. Cassandra felt the stage jerk forward underneath them. 

“Guess we're taking the show on the road, right boys?” She glanced to V and Nero, a grin on her face. “Let’s give 'em a show!” She twirled Fallen Star in her hand. It felt...weighty, for the lack of a better term. Astra was as light as a feather and reacted to her every command but this was no Astra. 

_ ‘Better get used to it now, because Astra ain’t coming back!’ _ She thought as Nero pulled Red Queen out from behind his back. Griffon and Shadow materialized by V’s side and shot forward, aglow with demonic energy, as they slammed into the two silvery-black demons. Nero smirked and adeptly deflected the blade of the green-hued knight, the leader of the group if Cassandra had to guess. Cassandra ducked to the side, doing combat with one of the silver-black knights while keeping an eye on the other. The knight parried her thrust with it’s own blade. Cassandra let out a frustrated snarl, pulling away to strike again. A clang echoed throughout the stage that was currently careening down to who knew where, the black-steel sword meeting the shield. Cassandra did a twirl, kicking the shield out of it’s hand. The shield clattered across the field of battle before Cassandra shot the demon in the head. It stumbled back, but not dead. Cassandra let out a frustrated growl.

“These tin cans are more robust than your typical demon!” She yelled before rolling out of the way of a thrust from the other demon knight. Skidding back, she swung the sword forward to slice at the back of the knees of the shieldless knight. The knight fell, giving Cassandra the opening to slice and stab the knight. A couple well-placed stabs later, the knight was no more. Cassandra glanced up, seeing the other knight dash towards her. She lifted up Fallen Star, only for the knight’s swing to knock the sword out of her hand.

“Oh fuck no!” Nero yelled, throwing out some sort of wire. The demon was pulled away from her, colliding with the green-hued knight. 

“Sorry Nero! They just love me!” Cassandra scrambled to Fallen Star, her yell laced with playful sarcasm. “Whatever will I do to them?

“Hey, hey, we're working our tail feathers off over here!” Griffon yelled as he electrocuted the knight he and V were dealing with. V darted forward, his cane impaling the knight in the chest. “Stop slacking off-” His complaint was cut off by a cry as the other knight V was fighting sliced into his wing. 

“Apparently they're not fond of loud-mouthed critters!” Nero retorted, throwing the silvery knight that he pulled away from Cassandra through a stage wall with Red Queen. It burst through the wall and tumbled away, to where Cassandra didn’t care for. “Maybe you should try shutting up!?”

“Oh fuck you!” Griffon squawked as he dove into the knight that just sliced at him. Cassandra focused her attention onto the leader of the knights. Nero and the leader seemed to be on an even playing field, the two blocking the blows of the other, even as Red Queen flared to life in Nero’s hand. Cassandra aimed the gun at the demon’s hand, fully intending to disarm it to give Nero an edge over the enemy. She fired. The bullet flew off the metal hand and into the unknown. 

“Fuck me sideways.” Cassandra swore under her breath before darting forward to flank the demon with Fallen Star. The demon spun around, deflecting her attack with it’s own broadsword. Nero took the opening he got and sliced into the knight, causing it to let out a warped cry. The sound made Cassandra wince from how...unnatural it was. 

She didn’t keep that thought for long. Not while they were still in combat. 

Shadow bounded from the knight they were fighting to turn into a spinning blade, slicing into the knight repeatedly while V finished off the demon. With three on one, Cassandra knew the fight was over. And yet, the demon continued to fight. 

“Not so much brains in this one! Only brawn!” Cassandra commented. “Together!” She slashed into the demon, Red Queen doing the same into its midsection, and the demon collapsed from the assault. No sooner than the demon fell, the stage jolted over a boulder, causing Cassandra to stumble. Nero caught her. 

“Alright, we need to get off this thing and fast.” Cassandra looked around, noting the familiars. “Shadow, you help V. Nero, you got that wire thing I bet Nico made, Griffon, you’re helping me up.” Nero and V nodded to her. Griffon flew over, her hand grasping his talons. “One...two...three...NOW!” Cassandra yelled. Griffon helped her into the air, Shadow bounded away with V on it’s back, and Nero shot out of the stage with his wire giving him the momentum he needed to clear the wall. The stage continued it’s path downward, into a seemingly endless ravine, as the trio landed on solid ground. Cassandra could hear it crash below. 

“That’s one way to cover ground.” Cassandra hummed, letting go of Griffon. The bird returned back to V in a puff of smoke. She looked to V, noticing his labored breathing. “What, tired already?”

“I've just remembered something…” V murmured, as if lost in his own memories. “This town was attacked once before.” 

“Is that so?” Nero asked.

“I was here... I can still see it.” V turned to the two. Cassandra raised an eyebrow and glanced to Nero. “In fact, I was playing right here.” V murmured, kneeling down to rest his hand against a rusted green rocking horse. Cassandra did remember, in old paintings from a past Red Grave, a Red Grave that was not a city, but a small pastoral town, that a park was here once. V took his cane and pointed across the ripped apart landscape, to a ruined mansion. “That was the house.” She frowned.

_ ‘That house...the last attack on the city was thirty-some years ago. But that would make V almost my age…’ _ She looked to V.  _ ‘There’s no way that can be true.’ _

“This is where we part ways.” V stood, turning to Nero. “You go ahead.” Nero sighed.

“You're gonna miss all the fun.” 

“No, I must seek the devil sword Sparda.” Cassandra blinked. 

“The Devil Sword Sparda?” She asked, concern obvious in her voice. V looked as if he could hardly wield her own Fallen Star, much less the Devil Sword Sparda.

“Yeah, V, I don't think that's such a good idea, trust me.” Nero added. V merely chuckled and walked between the two, a hand resting on Nero’s shoulder. 

“You're not the only one who thinks so. But to win this fight, we're going to need all the help we can get.” He said. Cassandra watched as he walked away. Nero was quiet for a few moments before turning to Cassandra. 

“Lemme guess, you’re going with him.” 

“Gotta protect the client, after all.” Cassandra looked to Nero. “You’re...you’re not really thinking about going after Urizen by yourself?” Nero glanced to her, a firm frown on his face. 

“Not after the ass-kicking he gave me.” He huffed. “I’m gonna kick his ass.”

“And prove you’re not dead weight? Or looking for a perfectly good way to get yourself killed?” Nero scowled at her words. “Nero, if Dante and the girls got their asses handed to them together, then you running off to take him on yourself is gonna be a death sen-”

“I can handle myself.” He growled, giving Overture a shake. “I’m not deadweig-”

“You never were.” Cassandra pointed out. Nero looked away, still frowning. “Nero, this Urizen managed to defeat Dante, Lady, and Trish at once. We’re lucky we found Lady. I still have no idea what happened to Dante and Trish and...the fact that you lived the first time facing him, I don’t think Urizen is going to be that lenient with you.” She took a breath, trying to control her tone. She stepped forward, gently taking Nero’s face and forcing him to look at her. “Nero, I would be heartbroken if you lost your life to him. Please...don’t just run off into death’s waiting jaws. I just came out of it and it hurt like a bitch.” The two stared at each other, neither pulling away. 

“Mom…” Nero pulled back, the cocky grin Cassandra was so familiar with returning to his face. It was hardly a comfort. “I’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll drag that asshole down from his throne. Once the big guys out, the tree’s gotta fall, right?” Cassandra wished she knew, wished she had Nero’s confidence. She let out a defeated sigh, pulling back her hand. She took a step back, pulling her hands together. In her hands, her healing crests formed and began to glow. She closed her eyes, focusing what remained of her power. After a few minutes, a small green orb, the size of a marble, fell in her hands. It seemed to glow faintly, as if containing the last of her light, her own power, within it.

“If I can’t stop you...the least I can do is help you.” She said, unable to hide the worry in her voice. She took Nero’s hand, placing the still-warm marble into his palm and curling his fingers around it. “If Urizen becomes too much for you, break it, and you’ll come back anew.” She stared down at their hands, taking in a breath. “And please...please come back alive. I don’t want to lose you.” She gave his hand a squeeze before she let go. Nero stared down at his hand, where the marble was, before pocketing it.

“I promise. Don’t worry, I’ll make you proud.” 

  
_ ‘I was always proud of you, Nero.’ _ Cassandra thought, stepping back from Nero. She turned, looking to where V had walked. She scowled when he was nowhere to be found. That poet was awfully slippery when he wanted to be. With a final farewell glance to Nero, she ran off to chase down the poet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we progress into meeting Dante.  
> Took us long enough, eh?


	11. The Catacombs of Old Red Grave

_ June 15th, 10:06am _

As Cassandra walked through the ragged and torn up landscape, she could tell that Old Red Grave was hit the hardest from the rise of the Qliphoth. It made sense, given that, from all appearances, Old Red Grave was the epicenter of the demon invasion. But why this part of the city? Why this city in general, considering it got attacked twice by demons? What was so special about Red Grave City that demons wanted to besiege it so much? 

And then there was that strange voice, the voice that called her a ‘child of light’. Cassandra wasn’t one for prophecies or diviners telling the future. She was of the firm belief that the future could be changed, that your fate wasn’t set the moment you were born. All of that distaste for prophets came from her hometown Eternis Brillia, where she had been lauded as ‘the child of light’. 

She still remembered the day that they celebrated the death of an infant. A ‘child of darkness’, she so remembered. It disgusted her that they celebrated the fact a  _ child _ died. It was the second worst day of her life. The first would always be her forced engagement to Draco.

She shook the memories out of her head. She didn’t need those memories at the moment. 

She jogged down to a ledge, overlooking more of the ripped up landscape. Across a sizable ravine was what looked to be some sort of building, it’s glass dome shattered and broken. She squinted, seeing three strange demons writhing unnaturally in blood. Was it...dancing? She wasn’t sure, the demons she could barely see were not demons she had encountered before. And why would they do that? 

“Argh, there’s no point in thinking about this. I need to find V.” She grumbled. She turned, only to come face to face with Griffon. “Griffon!?”

“Hooot shit I didn’t expect you here!” He squawked. “I thought you were going with Nero!” 

“I tried to convince him to come with me but…” She sighed. “He’s hellbent on going after Urizen himself.” Griffon clicked his beak. 

“Fucking pipsqueak.” 

_ “Says a Nightmare with no substance.”  _ That voice, a voice she thought she imagined in a hazy afterlife, spoke. Cassandra let out an amused hum before glancing around. 

“Where’s V?” 

“He’s up ahead. Why?”

“I’m throwing out that whole ‘protect the client thing’. He’s hiding something and I’m going to get it out of him.” She turned, seeing the only available path forward, and began to dash down the stones. Griffon let out a squawk from the sudden movement and flew after her. 

“Hey! Hey! That’s my guy and I’m the only one who throws down with him!” 

“If you can convince me he’s 39, then I’ll take it back.” 

“Oh, so that’s what this is all about. You know, there is such a thing as being babyfaced, like you!” 

“I’d take it as flattery if I wasn’t busy.” Cassandra huffed. She dashed into a clearing full of rubble, what had once been old businesses and homes. It looked as if a demon had charged through and destroyed it all. Which was exactly what happened, at least indirectly. She continued to rush through the ravaged valley, following the path laid before her, while Griffon soared after her. 

“Jeez, you’re scary when you’re determined. And pissed.” Griffon commented. That earned a smirk from her as she clamored up the rocks. As she stood, she noticed that the area she was in now seemed to have been built from the very rocks. Against the rockface were rows of locked up iron doors, perhaps tombs to the rich and wealthy of Red Grave. The path that once led to them was ruined, covered in dirt and dust and roots. Standing in the middle of the area was the very man she was searching for: V. 

“V!” She yelled, rushing up to him. He turned around, seeming to be surprised at her presence. 

“Cassandra, I-”

“V. Who are you?”

“You ask that of me now?” V asked. Cassandra narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’re hiding shit from me. You know something about this situation that we don’t.”

“And what brings you that conclusion?” 

“I can buy a lot of things. I’ve seen some shit, including Dante’s questionable fashion choices. But what I can’t buy is you, looking about Nero’s age, being around thirty-some years ago when Red Grave City was first hit by demons.” She hissed, pointing Fallen Star at the poet. “So start talking.” He stared at the sword, as if unamused by it’s point directly aimed at his heart. 

“Very well.” He sighed. He picked up his cane and stepped forward. Cassandra slowly pulled back her sword, watching him carefully. He looked ready to say something before he lifted up his cane and gently booped her nose with the handle. She blinked.

“...what?”

“We have more pressing matters than arguing over who I am.” He said calmly, pulling back his cane. “But I promise you, when all this is over, I will reveal my secrets.” 

“You promise...” She repeated warily. 

“I do.” Cassandra stared at V, searching for any sign of lies, before letting out a sigh.

“Fine.” She huffed. “Why the Devil Sword Sparda?” She asked, glancing at his physique. “I’ve seen that sword up close. It would break you before you could lift it off the ground.” She glanced at her hand. The scars didn’t bother her anymore. “Hell, I could only touch it before it burned me.” 

“But Nero...he could wield the sword.” V said as he began to walk away. Cassandra followed him.

“Ok, let’s say we do find the sword. How are we going to get to Nero to hand it off to him?” She asked. “I’m no miracle worker, I wasn’t even before Astra shattered.” 

The lack of a response was truly telling. He had no plan. Cassandra ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

“Alright, alright, we’ll figure it out when we find the damn thing.” She huffed as they continued on. Looking over the edge, she sighed at the rocky ledges below. She quickly made her way down, seeing as it was the only way forward. “Watch out for the candles.” She said as she made her way down. Why were there candles here? Weird cultists doing weird things while Red Grave crumbled? “I’m surprised the dead haven’t risen, given all the demonic energy here.” 

“Only a select few demons can order bones to walk.” V said. “And even then, the dead must be demonic in origin. Demons cannot raise up humans nor do they have any desire to do so.” 

“Something something, humans weak demons strong, I guess.” Cassandra mused. “I was expecting the walking dead to assault us, since I’m presuming we’re wandering through the catacombs of Old Red Grave.” 

“And where did such a thought come from?” V asked. Cassandra let out a nervous chuckle.

“One time, Dante convinced me to watch a horror movie. He said it wasn’t that scary. He lied.” She huffed. “It involved a lot of walking dead and I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night because of it. I’m not afraid of demons but apparently shambling corpses keep me up at night. Who knew.” She shrugged before glancing over the side, seeing the water rushing beneath them. “Fuck, there’s so much water…” 

“Does the fear of the depths strike you as well?” V asked.

“Not as much as walking undead, but a little.” Cassandra pulled back. “What scares you, since we’re on that subject?”

“...death.” V said softly. Cassandra nodded.

“Yeah, I can see that. Lots of people are scared of death. Why else is religion so popular, even in these dark times?” She sighed as they walked through the narrow corridors, coffins lined up in the walls. She frowned at the scent, a mixture of foul river water and death. She could only imagine what roiled in the darkness of the raging river, the wrath of the waves echoing off the walls along with their footsteps. She glanced to the slots in the walls, full of coffins of the long dead rich and famous (or those with very long and storied family trees that could afford such treatment). 

Turning the corner, Cassandra frowned. The room was empty, grey light streaming in from above to a suspicious sinkhole in the ground. The only other path was blocked off by the roots of the Qliphoth. She looked to V, to the hole, and then back to him. 

“I've got a bad feeling about this place…” She sighed. “But it’s our only way forward.” She glanced to V and held out her hand. V took her hand before suddenly pulling her close. She yelped in surprise as he jumped down the hole with her in tow. Burying her face into his chest, she clung onto him. The two landed on the ground, hearing hissing behind them. She whipped around, seeing four Empusas hissing loudly at them.

“I suppose we dropped into their feeding.” V hummed, pointing the handle of his cane at the Empusas. Shadow jumped forward from his arm, aglow with a familiar purple haze. They slammed into the Empusa and promptly turned into a ball of spikes. V pulled her back, just a little, as a spike grazed too close to her hair. The ball wibbled visibly, causing the Empusas impaled upon it to shake wildly, before the ball receded the spikes. Returning to the form she was most familiar with, the familiar let out an apologetic meow. 

_ “Living on borrowed time makes the heart yearn for a connection. No one wants to be forgotten, and yet, he yearns for love.”  _ A familiar voice spoke in her head. Cassandra blinked and glanced around. V glanced at her, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Just thought I heard something...probably a ghost or something. We’re surrounded by bones after all.” 

“A ghost…” V repeated slowly, looking as if he wasn’t quite buying her words. Cassandra pressed her lips into a fine line. It wasn’t like she had any better explanation for what was going on and, if V asked, she wasn’t sure what she’d tell him. She glanced down to his arm, still wrapped around her. 

“You do realize you can let go now.” She said gently. V glanced down to his arm and slowly let go. Her hand barely grazed the skin of his arm, immediately noting how dry it felt. He pulled away from her, a little too fast for it to be natural, as he went through the archway on the other side of the room. She followed him, seeing the collapsed and root-laden pathway beneath them. But it was the only way forward. 

_ ‘Ok voice in my head, start talking. Who are you?’ _ Cassandra thought, mentally trying to focus on that voice. 

_ ‘…I don't know… I was taken too soon… who am I?’ _ She heard it quivering, as if like a scared child that was on the verge of panicking. Cassandra wasn’t sure if she was surprised she got a response or the genuine fear she got.

_ ‘I don’t know myself...but you must know me. I heard you when I was leaving the afterlife to come back here.’ _ She replied mentally. 

_ ‘...you’re the child of light… I was supposed to find you…’ _ So that was it, was it? A prophecy that actually had a little bite to it? Cassandra could only sigh at that.

_ ‘Why?’ _ She asked. 

‘ _...they celebrated my death… _ ’ The voice quivered in sadness. Cassandra winced at that. She remembered that day painfully well. 

“Around the corner.” V murmured, snapping Cassandra out of her thoughts. She nodded and pressed up against the wall. She peered around the corner, seeing four Hell Cainas scraping their rusted scythes along the ground. The group of demons was elevated above them via a small staircase. She frowned at the noise. She nearly stepped forward before V took her shoulder, gently but firmly pushing her against the wall. 

“I’m not a damsel you need to protect!” She hissed.

“I would rather not have Nero’s ire for failing to protect you.” He retorted. She paused. She remembered his words, while Nero was hugging her tightly. 

“You lost your own mother, didn’t you? To the demons?” V didn’t look at her, his gaze having moved to the demons before them. 

“The past is...a bitter place for me.” He said softly, lifting his other arm. Shadow bounded forth, slamming into the Hell Cainas. They screamed from surprise. V quickly walked up the stairs to watch the movements of the demons. Cassandra peered around from the corner, watching as V circled around the Hell Cainas. Shadow slammed into a Hell Caina, turning into blades to slice through the demon. Cassandra watched as Griffon shot out of V’s arm, diving into another Hell Caina that was creeping close to V’s side. Cassandra watched as the familiars fought, almost with very little input from V. She stepped forward, with all intent of stepping into the fray, but V’s harsh glance to her made her pause. 

It was not those harsh green eyes that made her stop. It was the expression he bore that made her think twice. She knew that look too well, the exact same look Dante gave her when he needed her to stay back against particularly dangerous demons. She shook her head, not thinking long about the familiar glance.

_ ‘But why that look? Hell Cainas are childs play now!’ _ She thought, narrowing her eyes at V.  _ ‘He may want to protect me, as if trying to atone for failing to protect his own mother, but I’m just as capable of a combatant as he is with those familiars!’ _ With that, she stepped up the stairs, pulling out Fallen Star. As she darted up the stairs, she watched as Shadow shot their body out into a needle, impaling the Hell Caina upon itself before throwing the demon into a wall.

“Woah…” Cassandra breathed as the demon faded into ash. “Something new I discover about Shadow every time we fight a pack of demons.” She said as Shadow padded over to her. She knelt down to give the feline familiar a pet. Shadow purred, nuzzling her hand. She glanced up, watching as V began to move on ahead. “Jeez, no time wasted for him.” She grumbled as she quickly got up to follow him, Shadow trotting after her. 

Continuing their way through the catacombs, through rooms filled with the stench of death, Cassandra quickly noticed how V strived to keep a step ahead of her. He didn’t recall Shadow and Griffon, the latter soaring well ahead of them. Shadow remained by her side, purring as they continued through the catacombs. When the catacombs finally opened up into open air, Cassandra wished she could breathe a sigh of relief. The scent of death still hung heavy in the air, still with the foul river water below them, but now there was a hint of blood. 

“Something’s fishy over there.” Griffon muttered. Looking to the side, Cassandra frowned at the sight of a sarcophagus surrounded by brick and skulls. 

“Fishy, you say?” Cassandra asked, keeping her grip tight on Fallen Star. “I’d say morbid but…”

“Both are correct, in this instance.” V said. “Let us move on qui-” He was interrupted by distant sinister laughter. Cassandra felt her blood chill.

“Run, that’s a Sin Scissor!” She gasped, dashing on ahead. The demon in question leapt up from the ground, causing her to skid to a halt. “FUCK!” She instinctively sliced, demon metal meeting demon metal. The demon laughed wickedly, appearing ready to dive before Griffon slammed into its ghostly body. 

“Fuck off you banshee!” The demonic bird snarled. Cassandra shrugged at that. The comparison wasn’t off, she thought as she sliced again. The sword split the demon in twain, it’s scream of death being the final thing it emitted. 

“Checkmate!” She panted before turning to V. It seemed he was dealing with another Sin Scissor that had crept up on them. Shadow’s tail sliced and diced into the demon, who parried it’s attacks with the scissors. Cassandra dashed around behind the demon and leapt up, slicing it’s head off. The mask it bore shattered, followed by the fall of the scissors it once used as weaponry. Cassandra looked to V, panting heavily as they stared at each other. “Well?” 

“Nothing.” He looked to the pathway forward. She followed his gaze and frowned.

“Earthmother bless it, that’s where the blood smell was coming from.” She panted. “Gross.” She wiped the sweat off her head.

“That is what makes you pause?” V asked as he continued on. She jogged after him, quickly catching up. 

“Well, blood coming down from the walls is a sign of trouble.” She explained as they continued through the open pathway. There was a brief moment of catacomb, one that she was glad as soon as it began, as the two climbed up a bit of rubble to meet more rocky cliff.

“This presence…” V murmured, quickly turning left. “It's the Devil Sword Sparda! No doubt about it.” Cassandra could feel it too, the presence of the Devil Sword was something unique to itself. She remembered when it hung just behind Dante’s desk, an unusual place for such a powerful sword. Even Rebellion was, just barely, less powerful than the Sparda. 

She was pulled out of her thoughts by V, who had turned around. Her chest met the handle of his cane. She blinked down at the cane in confusion before looking to V.

“I will handle this. Wait here.”

“Wait here?” She hissed. “The fuck you playing at?” 

“Just...wait.” He pressed the cane’s handle a little harder before pulling it back. He walked through the archway. 

“Fuckin’ V...he can’t admit he cares.” She heard Griffon mutter as he swept past her after him. She heard the sound of demons squirming in something wet, most likely blood. She crept behind him, leaning her back against the wall. She peered around the corner, getting a look at the demons in question. She frowned at the sight of the trio of demons, their body being of hands and masks and exposed ribs and blood. 

_ ‘The fuck am I looking at?’ _ She could only think as Griffon swept forward. 

“Whoa this is some kind of ritual shindig, isn't it?” Griffon asked, fluttering forward. “You guys got the dance fever for Sparda, huh?” The demons turned and hissed loudly at him. Griffon flapped away from them in surprise. “Whoa! Easy there on the dance floor there, partner!” V chuckled and lifted up his cane, pointing upward. Her gaze followed his cane, to the Sparda embedded in the wall.

“I'll be taking that back.” He twirled the cane in his hand. “You know your endless worshipping isn't making the Sparda any happier.” She heard his tone shift, from amusement to a deadly seriousness. Shadow bounded away from her, turning into blades to slice into the demons. The demons writhed and screamed (somehow?) as they were assaulted by Shadow and Griffon. One of the demons changed it’s mask to a red mask, much to Cassandra’s surprise. It charged at V, who dodged quickly.

“It's mask changed...so that's your tactic?” V murmured, still loud enough for Cassandra to hear. “I'll be sure to watch out for that.” The demon let out a feral snarl, whipping around to V. It raised it’s hand. 

_ ‘No! He won’t be able to get out of the way in time, Shadow’s not close enough!’ _ Cassandra thought, tightening her grip on Fallen Star. She instinctively ran forward, a battle cry erupting from her as she stabbed the demon. The demon screamed out, rolling away from the force behind the attack. She glanced to V, who stared at her in surprise.

“Stop gawking and get back to fighting!” She snapped before refocusing her attention on the demon she just slammed into. It had gotten back up and hissed at her with some sort of unnatural quality she couldn’t name. She gave Fallen Star a spin in her hand before charging again. The demon tried to use it’s hand to stop her, only for the blade to sink into muscle and demon flesh. It screamed out again, trying to pull away. Cassandra pushed forward, growling at the demon. It scrambled and fell off the edge, Cassandra pulling back her sword at the last moment. It howled its death throes as it fell to the rushing waters far below. 

Cassandra whipped around, panting as the remaining two demons continued their battle with the familiars. She dashed forward across the grey stone and dirt, her blade digging into the leg of the demon Griffon was fighting. It screamed out, flailing it’s hand. Cassandra tilted the blade to the side before ripping outward, effectively ripping the muscles apart. The demon fell over, right into Griffon’s electrical wall. It’s life was electrocuted out of it. 

“That was some tackle into that demon!” Griffon squawked. 

“There’s still one more!” Cassandra called, just moments before the demon slammed hard onto Shadow. Shadow let out an agonized roar, body morphing into a red orb. Cassandra stared at the orb, confused as to what happened, before the demon turned to her. Shaking her head, she barely dodged it’s lunge. She shook her head and whipped around, Fallen Star meeting the hand that it used to destroy(?) Shadow. She growled as she immediately impaled Fallen Star into what she presumed was the demon’s spine. The demon began to flail about, taking Cassandra with her. She hissed at the dull pain of being tossed around but held on, her other hand reaching back to grab the gun. She aimed at the heart, firing without hesitation. After a few bullets, the demon stilled. 

Cassandra breathed heavily at the dead demon at her feet, watching as it slowly faded into dust. She sat down on the bloodied ground, not caring where she landed. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she looked up. She watched as V’s hand hovered over the strange red orb. A few moments later, Shadow reformed. 

“Huh. So that’s how your familiars work.” She murmured, hearing Griffon flutter down next to her. 

“Jeez, where’d you learn that from?” Griffon asked, looking to her. She ran her hand through her hair.

“That...uh...stinger attack? Dante. Are you surprised?”

“No.” Griffon fluffed his wings as if he was shrugging. “If you take so much from him, I’m surprised you two aren’t fucking.” 

“You take that back!” Cassandra snarled, promptly whacking the bird across the head. Griffon yelped in pain.

“Jeez! It’s just a joke, don’t break my skull!” 

“If that was your attempt at a joke, then I am more of a jester than you.” V said as he strode to the bulb of blood. Cassandra quickly got off the ground, grabbing her sword, and followed him. Together, the duo impaled the bulb of blood. Cassandra was surprised at the resistance it had to their attack. She glanced to V, noticing that he was straining to push his cane into the bulb. It seemed that this bulb had tougher skin than the rest.

_ ‘No matter.’ _ Cassandra thought as the blade sunk into demonic tree flesh and blood.  _ ‘We have a mission to complete.’ _ When the blade sunk to the hilt, she ripped it out with V. The bulb exploded into blood, covering the two of them with the sticky red liquid. Not the first time Cassandra had been covered in blood and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. She grabbed V’s arm, pulling him back as the roots of the Qliphoth turned to dust. The building above them, an already ruined conservatory if she had to guess, began to crumble. Rubble fell to the ground, along with the loud clanging of the Devil Sword as it met the ground. 

When all was still at last, Cassandra could only stare at the Sparda as it lay there, unmarred by the debris. V threw aside his cane, prompting Griffon to swing by and hold the cane in his talons. He walked forward to the Devil Sword, taking the handle into his hands.

“V, be careful. That sword’s picky about who it lets pick up.” Cassandra gasped, stepping forward to instinctively prepare to heal when she remembered that ability was lost. V only smiled at her before returning his attention to the sword. He began to stand, to lift the sword from the ground. Cassandra watched as he strained to hold the blade aloft, arms trembling from the strain, before the sword returned to the earth with a defeated clang. Cassandra ran over to V, a hand resting on his shoulder to offer some sort of support. 

“It seems this sword is still too strong for me…” V sighed

“I told you that the sword is picky. Even with me, it rejected my touch. Couldn’t feel my hand for a few hours afterward.” Cassandra said, an attempt to soothe the sting of defeat. 

“But Nero... he has the strength.” V’s gaze was still upon the Sparda, it’s sharpened edge glimmering in the grey light. 

“And how are we supposed to get the Sparda to Nero? We have it. Now what do we do?” Cassandra asked. V looked up at her, appearing to formulate some sort of answer to her question.

_ “Hope lies below, sitting on the throne” _

Cassandra winced at the voice. Hope? Unless such hope was some sort of super demonic jumping pad, she had no idea what hope the voice was referring too. Shadow let out a roar, rousing Cassandra from her thoughts. She noticed the demonic feline was overlooking the ruins of the building. They must’ve seen something, she figured, as she ran over to see what the familiar was making a fuss about. She heard the Devil Sword Sparda scrape behind her as V dragged the devil sword with him. Looking over the edge, what she saw made her heart stop.

Atop a twisted mockery of a throne, covered in blood, was Dante. 

_ ‘Just like the voice said…’ _ Cassandra thought.

“The devil sword Sparda was concealing Dante's presence.” V whispered. Cassandra barely heard him as she clamored down the rocks to get to Dante. Griffon swept down to follow her as she pulled him up from the makeshift throne of demon metal and onto the ground. He certainly looked like he had been asleep for a month, with his more prominent beard and longer hair, but  _ he was breathing still _ . That was all that mattered. 

“How does one friggin' guy get so much luck, huh!?” Griffon exclaimed. Cassandra heard the Devil Sword Sparda clatter to the ground, followed by V’s grunt as he landed near them.

“It’s just...a Dante thing. Even when things get bad, he always finds a way to come out of it.” She whispered. “Even if it’s battered and bruised, he’s always standing.” She heard the sound of V’s cane clattering to the ground, Griffon must have dropped it for some reason. She looked back, seeing a scarily familiar look on V’s face, the same look he gave to the demon-metal knights: one of hatred and disgust. 

“V?” She whispered, standing up to face him.

“Oh no…” Griffon muttered. She heard his talons click as he backed away from V. “V...get a grip on yourself now, c'mon!” 

“If only you could defeat Urizen... if only... no.” V whispered as he crept closer with the Devil Sword. “If only y-” He never got to finish his sentence as Cassandra promptly tackled him. He cried out as he skid across the ground, Cassandra quickly and easily pinning him down.

“I don’t give two flying fucks about what Dante did or didn’t do,  _ V _ .” She growled. “I don’t care if you hired him or you blackmailed him, and I don’t care to know why. But you  _ are not _ hurting my brother!” Her hand grabbed his wrists, keeping them above his head while the other was at his throat. “He’s been hurt enough as is!” She heard Griffon flap over to her.

“Hey! Let him go!” She turned, giving Griffon a nasty glare.

“Give me one good reason, chicken.” 

“I can zap you. And you’ll upset the big bad kitty.” Griffon offered. Cassandra frowned.

“Try again.” 

“Ugh, come on toots, you’re hurting me here!” 

“Quite...literally…” V wheezed out. 

And then, behind her, someone wolf-whistled. 

Cassandra whipped around, seeing Dante sitting up and alive. She quickly got off V.

“Jeez Cass, I didn’t know you liked hi- oof!” He didn’t finish his sentence, promptly tackled by Cassandra. Her arms flung around him, holding him in a tight hug.

“Dante, you fucker!” She cried, burying her face into his shoulder. “Not calling me when things got rough, when this stupid houseplant first sprouted, I could’ve helped!” 

“...Cass, what day is it?” He asked. She pulled back. 

“The fifteenth of June.” Dante lowered his head. 

“Fuck, no wonder I'm so stiff.” He said, carefully getting up. Cassandra scrambled off him, giving him the space he needed to stretch. Dante glanced to her left hand and winced at the scars.

“What happened.”    
  


“...oh, uh...Astra kinda...shattered. So I’ve been using this for the past couple of hours.” She showed him Fallen Star, allowing him to inspect it. “Where’s Rebellion?” She asked. “It’s unlike you to not have it at your side.” She noticed the faint wince when she mentioned the sword. He looked ready to answer when Griffon swooped in between the two. 

“Ok ok this reunion’s nice and touching and all but we gotta get going, 'cause that annoying pimple Nero is making a beeline for Urizen. And if he gets there he's gonna--” Dante grabbed the familiar and threw him like a horseshoe. “Get smashed like a buuuug!” His voice became distant as he soared away from the trio. Dante looked past Cassandra, to the poet that was still getting up from being tackled to the ground.

“V, this is my gig, leave Nero and Cass out of this.” He turned to Cassandra, his gaze softening. “You should get some rest, ok?” 

“Rest? You think I should rest after everything I’ve been through?” Cassandra growled. “I couldn’t stop Nero from rushing into that stupid tree-”

“If I had any choice in the matter...I would have never called upon her child to aid us. But Urizen is much stronger than we could have imagined.” V whispered, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily over them. Cassandra glanced to the poet, noticing the guilt evident in his jade green eyes before he leaned down to pick his cane back up, hiding the guilt behind his black hair. She turned back to Dante, his unreadable gaze to the Devil Sword Sparda. She knew Dante, when the situation called for it, was just as perspective as she was. The fact that V referred to Nero as her child did spark a bit of pride in her, a pride she quickly doused with the reality of the situation: Nero was running headlong to the Qliphoth tree, to Urizen, and they had to find a way to the stupid demon tree to either stop him or save him. Dante let out a sigh, rolling his shoulders as he walked over to the Sparda. 

“Alright, enough's enough. Can't let a boy…” He let out a grunt as he took up the devil sword bearing his father’s name. “Do a man's job.” V turned, surprise evident on his face. 

“Hey! I'm not done talking to you yet-” He stumbled, his cane clattering as it fell out of his hands. Cassandra rushed over, his hand entwined in hers as she tried to help him up, only for his hand to feel...strangely dusty. As if it was ancient parchment paper, deteriorating before her very eyes. Cassandra stared at his hands, seemingly beginning to fall apart as if they were dust. Whatever Dante said, she didn’t hear. She only vaguely registered him walking away, her eyes only focused on the hand seemingly falling apart before her very eyes. She looked to V, who was just as focused on his hand as she was moments ago.

For the first time, in all the time that she knew him, he looked completely terrified. 


	12. Phantom Menace

_ June 15th, 11:02am _

“V, why didn’t you tell me you were dying?” Cassandra asked him. She had moved him to rest under the gnarled leafless tree, to shade from the grey light above them. His cane rested next to him, the decaying man able to reach it with ease if he needed to. V did not look to her, his gaze upon the dark grey ground. 

“It was not important to the mission.”

“Not important!? Not important my ass V!” Cassandra snapped. “I could’ve helped, before I lost Astra!” 

“No you couldn’t.” V retorted, finally meeting her gaze. “My fate was sealed the moment I came into this world. It is only my will and what little demonic power I have left that I am here now.” 

“Your fate…? The moment you came into this world?” Cassandra couldn’t think, couldn’t even fathom what V was talking about. “V, how old are you really?” V stared at his hand again, staring at the cracks that were forming in his skin. 

“A month...and two days.”

“A MONTH!?” Cassandra yelped. “Now I have more questions than answers!” She heard a distant rumble. “Shit...and not enough time to get them answered.”

“Cassandra…” V whispered breathlessly. She glanced back to V. He let out a soft breath. “I…” He paused, as if afraid to speak, before continuing. “My time is limited. More limited than I thought. I have no right to ask this of you but...I...would you honor a fool’s request?” 

“Depends on the request…” Cassandra said, hiding her wariness and concern with patience. 

“Despite our disagreements, I have been honored to be by your side.” He squeezed her hand. “You are brave and loyal, even when you have your disagreements. I can see why Nero holds you in such high regard.” Earthmother bless it, it sounded like he was begging for a final request. “I...I wish to kiss you, before I miss my chance and regret it.” Cassandra stared at him, surprised at his brazen request before smiling a little. 

“...not the first time someone tried to pull that for me instead of paying me cash.” Cassandra sighed. V opened his mouth, ready to protest, before she pressed her finger against his lips. “But this is the first time I’ll accept it.” Her hand moved to hold V’s cheek, gently pulling him in for a kiss. 

The first thing she thought was how soft his lips felt, compared to his dry cracking (practically falling apart) skin. A hint of tea, bitter but with a hint of underlying sweetness, met her lips. His hair was surprisingly soft as it grazed her fingers. As they parted, she could feel V’s hand tighten. Their eyes met, Cassandra noticing a familiar unreadable expression on his face, something in the mix of need and grief. 

“V?” She whispered.

“Another, please-” 

“Why? Did you get hit with some weird pollen from the Qliphoth?” She asked jokingly, despite the look he gave her. “But seriously, why?” 

“Cassandra…” He paused, another hesitation. He was rather bold earlier, with him holding her close when they went down a hole and the kiss they just had, so why was he hesitating now? The bravado seemed to have melted away from him, replaced with fear and uncertainty that did not hide itself behind poetry. “When all this is over, I will truly miss this moment.” 

“That’s not an answer to my question. If anything, that gives me more questions!” She huffed. “You’re more of a riddler than a jester-” 

“Yo! Lovebirds!” Came the yell of Griffon. Cassandra glanced up, watching as he soared over to them. “Got some bad news, it’s Malphas and she’s looking to land some damage onto Dante.” 

“Well fuck that bitch.” Cassandra huffed, standing up. She reloaded her semi-automatic pistol, just in case, before placing it into its hostler. Taking up Fallen Star, she glanced to V. “V, you’ll be fine with just Shadow, right?”

“I should be, yes.”

“Alright. Griffon, you’re with me.” She ignored the indigent squawk she got from him. “Lead the way to Malphas, eyes in the sky.” With that, she dashed ahead through the rocky pass, following Dante’s footsteps in the dirt. 

“Eyes in the sky she says, as if she can hear me.” Griffon grumbled.

“I can hear you still. I might not have Astra but that doesn’t magically make me deaf to your complaining.” Cassandra said. As they rounded the corner, Cassandra noticed the signs of a scuffle, of disturbed dirt and broken gravestones. She presumed that it was most likely Dante taking out a few demons as he made his way through the area. 

_ ‘Always a step behind Dante.’ _ Cassandra thought, half-amused as she continued onward. She glanced up to Griffon, soaring high above her. He flew off, her following his shadow. She clamored up a rocky ledge and came face to face with the remains of Red Grave University. It’s yellow brick was crumbling precariously into the void-like canyon below. 

“Good Earthmother, what a wreck.” Cassandra commented. “So much for learning.”

“The fuck you’re on about?” Griffon asked as he swooped back down. She grabbed his talons, letting him sweep her upward closer to the building.

“Well, if I remember my history about Red Grave, this was a university. One of the older campuses in the city. Too bad it’s a wreck though-” As she said that, one of the sections of the old university tumbled into the darkness below them. “...even more of a wreck now.” 

“School’s out, wahoo!” Griffon laughed.

“Considering we’re in an apocalypse, it’d be pretty difficult to get any learning done.” Cassandra commented. Griffon swept into the building through some broken glass, Cassandra quickly landing on the linoleum floor. 

“Ugly as sin though.” The bird commented, settling on her shoulders. 

“Look, this place is old. By the time the Qliphoth falls, this place will be no more than rubble.” Cassandra turned, only to be met with open air. “Oh.” 

“This looks like a problem.” Griffon commented, staring at the yawning canyon before them. 

“Yeah, it IS a problem. Smartie.” She gently bapped his head. “Good thing you have wings.”

“Come ooon, give a bird a break!” Griffon whined. “You’re just as high maintenance as he is!” 

“Fine fine.” She sat down at the edge of the building. “We can have a break.” 

“As a treat?” Cassandra let out an amused huff and reached up, scratching behind his ear. The demonic bird let out a pleased coo as she scratched. “Aww yeah, right there…”

“V doesn’t give you pets?”

“No, we’re too busy for pets. The whole dying thing does that to you.” Griffon hummed. 

“Does...Does V actually have not much longer to live?” She asked softly. Griffon paused.

“I’d say...maybe a few more hours.” Cassandra felt her chest ache at that. She had only known V for a week and already, his time was ending? Was that why V acted so bold, due to his time already coming to a close? It would make sense, she mused, as she continued to scratch the bird. It made his words no less cryptic and any more mulling about it any better use of time. She sat up and stretched. “Alright Griffon, spread those wings of yours. We’re going flying again.”

“Aw come oon…” He whined but got off her shoulders. 

“We can’t stay. We have to keep moving.” Cassandra pointed out. She took a step back, her hand grabbing Griffon’s talons. 

“Wait what are you doing...wait wait WAAAAIT!” The bird screamed as she ran forward. Taking a leap, the bird spread his wings out and flapped vigorously. They glided over the gap before Griffon let go, sending Cassandra rolling onto the asphalt. 

“Fucking...ow…”

“I wasn’t ready!” Griffon complained, quickly latching onto her shoulders. “My wings hurt!” 

“Huh. I thought demons were resilient to injury.” Cassandra commented. “Better get some new wings.”

  
“These are the only wings I hav-” Griffon was about to snap before he perked up his head, as if sensing something. “That way.” He pointed his wing to a building. “She’s that way. Straight through that building and up a hill.”

“Duly noted.” Cassandra murmured. “How’d you find her?”

“Was flying about, trying to get my bearings, and I saw her in the distance. Looked like she was summoning something.” 

“And if she figures out Dante’s up and kicking, she’ll try to stop him. We need to stop her before she finishes summoning...whatever the fuck she’s summoning.” She paused, taking out her gun and making sure it was loaded. Content, she lowered herself closer to the ground and began to move forward slowly through the building. 

The building, if she had to guess from the dull white walls and worn grey carpets, used to be an office building. Perhaps administration for the destroyed university? Most of the walls were broken, the building creaking all around her as she carefully moved through. As she walked, she could sense the demonic energy of Malphas strongly. It was like a beacon, a beacon that normally would deter the lesser demons from intruding from the sheer power it exuded. 

It would be her doom, Cassandra mused, as she kept going. Slipping through the broken back doors, the hill before her sloped upward. She crept up, trying not to make a noise, to catch Malphas off guard and hopefully take her out quickly. As she crept upward, she could see the demoness in question. The demoness seemed to have not noticed her yet, too focused on what it was summoning to pay her mind.

She took a breath, slowly aiming her gun at Malphas. She squinted her eyes before firing.

The bullet sang through the air, piecing her hands and interrupting her casting. Malphas whipped around before focusing on her. 

“The fuck did you miss for!?” Griffon snapped.

“The primary objective was to stop that summoning.” She added, firing again. This time, the bullet was stopped mid-air by Malphas’ magic. It clattered to the ground. The demoness leaned forward, inspecting her before chuckling.

“The Wild Rose...or perhaps, the dethorned rose.” 

“Still haven’t fucked yet.” Cassandra muttered. 

“I don’t think she meant  _ that _ kind of dethorning.” Griffon whispered awkwardly. She rolled her eyes before glaring daggers at the demon sorceress above her. Malphas did not move from her perch above the huntress but kept her eye(s?) on her. 

“You’re quite brave, attacking me so boldly. I thought that you would hide after you were dethorned.” She cooed, a sickening noise that made her shudder. Cassandra’s eyes flicked around her to make sure she wasn’t secretly summoning anything before returning her gaze to the demoness.

“You know me.” She took out Fallen Star, pointing it at the demoness. “I know you sent Ouroboros to the woods of Wales, after all. And for what?” 

“To shatter the stars, you foolish girl.” Cassandra’s eyes widened. “You believed your divine weapon was safe forever from destruction? The poison from Ouroboros was what weakened your weapon until it was brittle enough to shatter.” 

“Good thing I killed the bastard because it ain’t gonna save you when I rip your heart out!” She growled, stepping forward.

“Woah woah woah, calm down!” Griffon squawked, biting her hair and giving it a pull. She winced at the pain. “She’ll zap you to smithereens before you’ll get a blow in!” She ripped her head away, the sudden movement throwing Griffon off her shoulder. She stormed forward. 

“She’ll have to catch me first-” A blast of demonic energy sent them back. Cassandra grunted as she rolled on the dirty ground. She glanced up, growling as Malphas laughed. 

“I think not, pathetic human.” She whispered, her hands aglow with demonic energy. “A shame I cannot slay you myself. The grand usurper requires my attention...but perhaps this should keep you occupied!” Purple winds blew in a circle, something being formed in the center. The sound of snapping bone echoed in the air, along with gusting wind and a sense of demonic energy being...rebuilt? “Behold, Phantom!” The winds burst, revealing a large spider. It let out a roar, formed of steaming dark purple ichor and black demon metal. 

“...A spider. You summon a giant spider to fight me.” Cassandra huffed.

“Oh ha ha, didn’t expect Malphas to bring back this asshole.” Griffon grumbled. 

“Eyes ahead, zappy bird.” Cassandra huffed. “We’re taking this fucker down and Malphas is next.” Griffon took to the skies, glancing up as Malphas disappeared into a portal. 

“Just focus on Phantom, ok!?” Griffon yelled. “If he eats you, you won’t get your chance at vengeance!” Cassandra let out a huff as Phantom charged. She rolled out of the way before darting forward, Fallen Star digging into the demonic ichor. The heat was practically radiating off the demon, a heat that surprised her for a brief moment before Phantom swung away. She quickly dodged the swing before looking up.

“A FUCKING SCORPIAN TAIL!?” She screamed from frustration. The tail swung around, Cassandra barely dodging it as it collided with the building. 

“Pay attention!” Griffon scolded. The huntress huffed at that. “Good thing Malphas made sure he wasn’t going to start yelling. I think you would’ve hated that.” 

“Wait, he’s normally a chatty bastard!? I’m not going to thank her for that!” She snarled, her blade meeting one of Phantom’s legs. She slashed at the leg until it fell off, gushing steaming hot demonic ichor onto the ground. She barely leapt out of the way of the ichor. “Gross.”

“Look alive!” Griffon screamed. Cassandra ducked out of the way of Phantom’s swinging arms, the steaming ichor splattering onto her arm. She hissed, feeling it’s searing heat. She shook her arm, getting the ichor off her before it burned her skin. 

_ ‘I can’t heal myself like I used to. I gotta be more careful.’ _ She thought and looked up to Griffon. Griffon was busy diving into the resurrected demon, wings ablaze with electricity. Cassandra then glanced to Fallen Star, noticing the details of the blade were starting to warp from the intense heat of the demon ichor. She looked up to the resurrected demon battling Griffon before getting an idea. 

“Hey fuckstain!” She yelled. Phantom swung, eyes glowering at her. “Come here, I got a present for you!” The demon let out a roar as it shot forward. Cassandra ran towards the demon, shoving the blade into it’s gaping mouth. The sword was shoved inside, Cassandra quickly letting go as it began to melt. The demon stumbled back, choking on the melting metal that was searing down it’s throat. She pulled out her gun and shot at the orb. 

She didn’t expect an explosion, especially not one that blew up the front portion of the demon. She stared at the remains, slowly turning into dust. 

“Hoooooly shit, where did you get that idea?!” Griffon yelled as he swooped over to her. 

“I noticed Fallen Star was melting and decided to suffocate Phantom with the molten metal. I didn’t expect the orb attached to it to explode but…” She shrugged. 

“And I was real concerned with you bringing a kid into the fight-”

“Wait, kid?” She looked around. “What kid?” 

“You don’t know!?” He squawked. “There’s this...little girl that follows you around, hiding behind stuff. You know her?” Cassandra closed her eyes, trying to think of where she could’ve picked up a child…

“The child of darkness…” She murmured.

“The who-what now?” 

“Back in my old home town...there was this prophecy that a child of darkness would be born and bring ruin. I, being born earlier, was hailed as the child of light. I didn’t take stock of it then, especially after her death-”

“She’s...dead?”

“She died during childbirth. Her and her mother.” 

“Man, that’s sad.” Griffon hummed. “But uh, you know it could easily be a demon pretending to be a kid. Make ya lower your guard before you stab V in the back-”

“You take that back.” Cassandra growled, her hand grabbing the demonic bird’s throat. Griffon squawked.

“Hey hey hey I’m just looking out for you! Do you even remember her name?”

“I…” Cassandra frowned. It was on the tip of her tongue but the memory of the child’s name was just out of reach, muddled by shadow and fog. She tried to focus on that memory but all she could recollect was bright garish colors, cheering, panic and fear and a sense of something being  _ terribly _ wrong. “I…” 

“Cassandra!” She jumped at the voice. Letting go of Griffon, she whipped around to see V behind her. He was sitting atop of Shadow, who looked like they were ready to disappear at any moment. As V got off the demonic feline, it disappeared back into his skin. “What happened?” 

“Malphas happened. She ran away like the coward she was, summoning...or perhaps, resurrecting Phantom to fight me.” She looked at the melted remains of Fallen Star, no longer any good for combat. “And I killed him by shoving the melting Fallen Star into his gullet and shooting. Somehow it made an explosion.” 

“I...see. We do not have much time to dawdle.”

“Right.” Cassandra nodded. “Let’s go.” V nodded and turned, leading the way in a sort of walking jog. She could see the weakness in his body, the result of the slow decay that would be his death. 

_ ‘I hope he’ll come out of this alright.’ _ She thought as she followed him back the way he came.  _ ‘Hell, I hope I’ll come out of this still sane. Maybe there is truth in Griffon’s words...’  _ She glanced up to Griffon, who was flying by the poet. ‘ _ And what if we don’t get to Nero in time? What if… _ ’ The sudden image of Nero, laying in a pool of blood at the feet of a great shadow, flashed in her mind. She shook her head, shaking the image out of her consciousness. 

Nero wasn’t going to die, not if she or Dante had anything to say about that. He wouldn’t let Nero, his own nephew, die. And Nero did have the last of her light in his pocket, enough to save him if it came down to it. Nero wasn’t going to die. He couldn’t die, not to Urizen, not now. She just hoped that Dante would make it in time...

“Dante!” 

Cassandra was jostled out of her thoughts by V’s voice, a cry to him. She looked up, seeing Dante getting on a strange black motorcycle (who gave him a motorcycle?!). Trish was on the ground, barely moving but at least alive.

“Take care of Trish for me!” He called to them, revving up the motorcycle. V reached out, only for him to collapse. She quickly caught him, looking up to the quickly leaving devil hunter.

“Dante, wait--!” She called, but he was gone, soaring over Qliphoth roots and jagged chunks of asphalt. “Fuck! Griffon, go after him!” 

“You’re on it, buttercup!” Griffon replied, soaring away after Dante. She looked to the nude Trish and let out a sigh, guiding V to a pair of tires nearby. 

“Fucking hell Dante...leaving Trish here all alone. I mean, she’s a demoness and all but still.” She muttered. “V, can I borrow your coat?” She asked. V looked up, blinking in surprise before nodding. He slipped his hand into the coat, pulling out a familiar book. She quickly took off the coat, covering the unconscious Trish with it. Passing a glance to V, anything she wanted to say to him died in her throat. His body was deathly thin, more thin than she realized.

“Cassandra?”

“Holy fuck V, when was your last meal?” She whispered. V opened his book.

“A can of beans, I believe.” 

“When all this is said and done, I’m going to give you a proper meal. You won’t be skin and bones anymore.” She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up to her. “Hey, I’m gonna go find a phone booth or something and call Nico. Can I trust you to keep Trish safe until she wakes up?”

“...I will do whatever I can, Cassandra.” 

“That’s all I could ever ask of you.” She squeezed his shoulder before running off. 

  
_ ‘V, Trish...we’re gonna go to the Qliphoth soon enough. We’re gonna bring Urizen down with the whole crew.’ _ She thought, quickly sliding through a gap in the asphalt and Qliphoth roots to the street below.  _ ‘But first, I need to make a call to a certain artisan of arms.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for the title.


	13. A Wild Ride

_June 15th, 11:32am_

“I can’t wait for the city to get back to it’s usual lively self.” Cassandra mumbled to herself, carefully maneuvering through the ruins of Old Red Grave. With only a gun in hand, she couldn’t just go into brawls all willy-nilly. She had to be tactical, careful, and pick her fights. 

She had a pretty good idea of the area but how much of that was accurate to her reality remained to be seen. The ravaging of the city and the demons that now infested it could’ve changed everything she knew about Old Red Grave, and the fact that electricity was rare because of said ravaging, finding a working phone was going to be a struggle. 

_‘Child of darkness...lend a girl a hand? Please? V and Trish need my help, they need Nico and Lady to recover.’_ She thought, wondering if she would even get an answer. A few minutes passed and the lack of an answer made her sigh. 

So much for that, but it was worth a try. Did Griffon spook her by calling her out? Much less calling her a demon? 

_That’s what they did too. The people of Eternis Brillia called her a demon too._

She shook the dark thoughts out of her mind. She couldn’t dwell on them as she crept through the city defenseless. As she crawled through the looming shadows of ruined buildings, the silent city sent shivers up her spine. It just felt wrong, with no one around and it being just about rush hour, if the position of the sun was right. 

Suddenly, the shrill ring of a phone broke the silence. Cassandra jumped, nearly yelping at the sound before covering her mouth. Following the source of the sound, she found a phone booth. It’s roof was ripped off and the glass was shattered but the phone within was still working, if the shrill ringing was any indication. She quickly ran over, picking up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Finally, you picked up! Haven’t you heard of the three ring rule!” Nico snapped. Cassandra blinked.

“Look, no need to be hostile, considering your calling just gave me a heart attack.” Cassandra tried to soothe. “I was just going to call you, in fact. V and Trish need a pick-up, they’re-”

“Already have em.” Nico interrupted. “And I’m already on my way to you. V told me where you went, so you just sit tight.” 

“Wait, what do you mean you’re already on your w-” The sudden screech of tires made her whip around. The van rushed past her, sliding to a halt. Nico poked her head out from the van. 

“Come on! We don’t have all day!” Cassandra stared at her before shaking her head, hanging up the phone and quickly getting into the van. To her relief, she saw Trish and V on the couch. Trish looked like she had recovered quickly enough while V...V seemed to have deteriorated further. She winced at the sight before Lady cleared her throat. She looked up, seeing Lady pat a silvery suitcase and an old guitar case on Nico’s workbench. 

“We took a swing to the shop-”

“I can see that.” Cassandra interrupted. Lady rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that look. I can recognize Pandora when I see it.” 

“Good. It’s yours.”

“Wait what.” Cassandra blinked. “No, it’s Dante’s-”

“Dante isn’t gonna get upset that you’re borrowing his stuff. You borrow his coat all the time.” Lady pointed out, a teasing smile on her lips.

“Excuse me, that coat is nice and warm and I steal it only when it cold-”

“Exactly!” Lady pointed out. Cassandra groaned at the second interruption. “And he’s gonna be just fine with you borrowing these devil arms.”

“Hey!” Nico walked over to them. “Where’s my handiwork?”

“Melted a demon’s gullet and exploded.” Cassandra replied dryly. Nico gasped, looking ready to scold Cassandra, before pausing mid-thought.

“Ok, normally I’d get pissy because my handiwork’s gone but I’ll let it slide this time. Sounds like a cool way for my art to go. BUT!” Nico pointed sharply at Pandora, resting on her workbench. “You better not batter up Pandora! That’s a Machiavellian work of art!”

“Machiavellian...wait, he didn’t-”

“The demon weaponsmith, dummy!” Nico snapped. “He was a master weaponsmith! His work’s hard to find so you better not break this piece of art here either.” 

“Ok, first of all, I didn’t know there was a demon named Machiavelli who made weapons...or used to, given you referred to him in past tense, and I can’t promise shit with a giant angry houseplant ruining Red Grave.” Cassandra retorted. “But…” She looked to the silvery devil arm on the workbench. “I’ll see what I can do.” She reached over to take Pandora’s handle. It shifted in her hand, forming into a double-barrel revolver. She flicked open the chamber, noting the bullets were aglow. 

“Guess you don’t need to worry about ammo with that.” Lady hummed, walking over to the other case. Cassandra closed the chamber and replaced the revolver she had been using with Pandora. Setting the old revolver on the table, she walked over to Lady as she opened the guitar case. Nestled in the case were two familiar scimitars, one of red and blue.

“Agni and Rudra...I know those boys anywhere.” Cassandra said with a smirk. She was no stranger to the twin scimitars, finding their chatter with Dante more than amusing. Underneath the two scimitars was a familiar set of demon armor: Gilgamesh. Cassandra took the demon armor out from under the twin scimitars and put it on, allowing the armor to settle onto her person. It was a strange feeling but...not unwelcome. It just felt like protective gear, only sentient enough to shift and adjust to its new wielder. It made her wonder how Dante managed to do all those kung-fu moves with the armor on. She glanced up, noticing the faintest glance around from Agni. “I know you’re awake.” 

“Where are we?” Agni asked.

“This isn’t a basement.” Rudra, as if on instinct, followed suit. Lady slipped past her, letting Cassandra pick up the twin scimitars. She looked to the two faces, both equally confused. 

“Nope, it’s an adventure. You in?” Cassandra asked, smiling to the sentient scimitars. 

“Should we, brother?” Rudra asked. . 

“I believe we should!” Agni replied enthusiastically. Cassandra could feel him vibrate in her hand. 

“Welcome to the crew then.” She said. She settled them on her back, feeling Gilgamesh accommodate holders for them. She noticed Trish’s steady gaze on her. “What’s the matter?” 

“You’ve changed.” She said simply. Cassandra noticed her green eyes flick to her scarred hand. She tightened that hand into a fist.

“Times change. Things happen. You need to adapt, especially when a certain someone’s barreling head first into danger.” 

“Don’t barrel into it so quickly.” Trish warned. “You’re not used to demonic power, not at the capacity you’re at now.” 

“I’m not gonna get left behind while my family’s off fighting.” Cassandra hissed. Trish let out a restrained sigh, her eyes flashing white like lightning for a brief moment. A sudden rush of demonic power, for a brief moment, slammed into her instincts. She shook her head, trying to toss it out of her system when she looked up to see Trish standing before her. She faintly heard Nico whisper ‘what the fuck’ to Lady behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the demonic feline manifest at V’s feet, growling at Trish. 

“Outside. Now.” Trish’s voice was ice cold, a tone that she was not familiar with. Cassandra glared at her, almost trying to contest her, before finally stepping out of the van. She heard Trish’s heels click as she followed her. As they stepped outside, Trish strode by her to walk ahead. Cassandra noticed that Trish had summoned an old sword to her side, perhaps a backup to the Sparda that was now in Dante’s hands? It was a longsword, with a snake-like design on the handle. Once they were a significant distance away from the van, Trish turned on her heel. 

“Ok, you got me here. What’s all this about.” Cassandra huffed. “And what’s that sword you got there? I know you usually have the Sparda but…”

“Oh, this?” Trish smirked, spinning the blade in her hand. “Dante passed this off to me after returning from Vie de Marli.” She slammed the tip of the weapon into the ground. “Now draw yours.” 

“Wait, now?”

“Yes now.” 

“Trish, we have a giant angry houseplant to take care of.” Cassandra huffed, reaching back to bring out the twin scimitars. 

“I know. But letting you run in there with no idea of your limits wouldn’t be responsible of me, would it?” Trish smirked. Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “You have no idea what you can and cannot do. Astra is not the Devil Arms on you.”

“You think I don’t know that!?” Cassandra snarled.

“You act like you don’t. That will get you killed.” Trish pointed out. Cassandra let out a snarl, gripping tighter onto Agni and Rudra. She could feel a demonic fire searing into her skin, a hunger to fight, to prove her wrong. 

“Now you’re just goading me.” 

“Am I?” Trish asked. “Prove me wrong then.” Cassandra dashed forward, swinging the scimitars. Trish parried the blow, only for Cassandra to turn on her heel and slice at her jacket. Trish seemed only mildly upset at the slash, the jacket quickly repairing itself by her demonic power. Trish swung her sword and Cassandra met it with the twin scimitars. She faintly heard cheering, perhaps the scimitars at being used again, after how many years of being trapped in the shop’s basement? 

Perhaps that was it. It would explain the fire in her veins, the swiftness in her movements. She could handle it. She had the will to do so. She just had to prove Trish wrong.

_"While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing."_

That voice! Cassandra smirked, the twin scimitars meeting against the blade Trish wielded. The two were locked between a battle of wills, straining to overtake the other. Cassandra surged forward, pulling upon Gilgamesh to pin Trish to the broken stone wall behind her. Trish let out an ‘oof!’ as her back met the wall. Cassandra could feel her chest heaving from the exertion, her hands shaking despite their tight grip on the twin scimitars. She glanced up to Trish, seeing that confident grin despite her situation.

“There we go…”

“Believe I can handle it now?” She asked softly. 

“It takes more than willpower to handle Devil Arms, lightspark.” Trish teased, booping her on the nose. Cassandra blushed as she stepped back. After an awkward pause, she sheathed the twin scimitars behind her back. She ignored their chuckling at her being flustered by the demoness. 

“Sorry for getting all snappy at you…” 

“It’s alright. I did goad you into a fight.” Trish hummed, the sword she had used disappearing into...somewhere. Demons were weird and Cassandra could never claim to fully understand them. “And Dante would’ve done the same. You know it.” 

“Yeah, I do.” Cassandra sighed. “Might’ve been harsher, because he likes telling Agni and Rudra to shut up. Rudely, from what I recall.” 

“He bashes our heads together!” Agni huffed.

“It hurts…” Rudra followed up, sounding quite upset at that. 

“Well. Good thing I know what not to do.” Cassandra glanced up to the sky, to the Qliphoth looming over them. Something caught her eye, causing her to squint. Faintly, against the dark tower that was the demonic tree, a streak of orange burned through the air. “Dante…”

“Hm?”

“Dante’s on the move.” She pointed to the streak. “That’s his Devil Trigger. Or at least, the color of it.” She turned to Trish, who nodded, before the two looked to the van. “Everyone, pile up back in the van!” She yelled, walking over to the van. 

“Wait, what?” Nico yelped, quickly jumping up from her leaning back against the side of the van. “Where?”

“Nico.” Cassandra clasped her shoulder. “We need to get in the Qliphoth ASAP. And you’re gonna get us there.” Nico just blinked, as if stunned by her forwardness. “I mean, you don’t want to miss the legendary Dante in action? I believe he told me his signature guns were made by...hm…” She paused, just for dramatic effect. “Nell, I beli-”

“Get in the van!” Nico snapped, jumping into the van. Lady hummed in surprise before following suit. Cassandra looked to V, reaching out a hand to him. V stared at her hand before taking it. 

“Aww, lovebirds.” Trish teased. Cassandra rolled her eyes before guiding V into the van and onto the couch. Trish followed the duo, closing the door behind them as Nico settled into the van’s driver seat. Lady quickly got into the passenger seat while Trish sat across from the duo. 

“Y’all better hold on, because this is a one-way ride to hell!” Nico said, quickly starting up the van. With a slam on the gas, the van soared down the streets onto an ruined but still functional highway. Ahead of them, Cassandra could see the Qliphoth looming above the city.

“V!” Cassandra asked. “Why did this asshat bring up a vampiric demon tree? What does Urizen want?” 

“Power.” 

“Well duh. You know more about the Qliphoth than any of us.” Cassandra passed a glance to Trish. “Right?”

“I’ve only heard legends about the Qliphoth. Even in the Underworld, the Qliphoth is a hush-hush topic.” Trish explained. “And Mundus didn’t tell me about it.” 

“For good reason.” V said. “The Qliphoth is gathering blood for a reason. The fruit of the Qliphoth-”

“Wait, this thing is making a piece of fruit from all the blood?” 

“Not just any fruit, Cassandra. The power of the fruit of the Qliphoth is almost divine. Mundus used it to become king of the Underworld.” V explained. Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

“And how do you know all this?” 

“I have been keeping an eye on this demon for some time.” V explained. Somehow, Cassandra didn’t buy it. The Qliphoth was mentioned nowhere in her books of demonology, much less Urizen, but there could easily be the possibility of Urizen simply using a different name (or none at all) to hide himself in the annals of history. 

“So, the Qliphoth eats a whole city’s worth of humans to make this fruit that gives divine powers, enough to rule over all demonkind, and someone with a god complex decided it was a good idea to thrust it up into Red Grave. Is that the jist?” Cassandra asked. V nodded solemnly. “Fuck, gives us more reason to stop this bastard now, doesn’t it.” 

“Hey V! How does the rise of this angry houseplant cause demons to pop up everywhere?” Nico yelled. V seemed to pale at that, his body stiffening at her words.

“The Qliphoth has the power to force the demon world and the human world to become one. For humanity, it would be akin to the apocalypse.” 

“Literal hell on Earth.” Cassandra groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Ok ok, we need to get this tree down ASAP and hope for the best.” 

“We’re coming in hot! Hold on!” Nico yelled. Cassandra clung onto the couch with one hand, the other pulling V close. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the van shake as Nico drove through the walls of the Qliphoth tree. 

Immediately, the demonic energy within nearly overwhelmed her senses. It was unlike anything she ever encountered, perhaps because it was so _raw_. It wasn’t sullied by being in the mortal plane for any period of time, unlike most demons, nor did it have any indication that it was summoned by some sort of summoner. No, whatever Urizen did to bring the Qliphoth to the world of humankind involved the Yamato. Nero had it in his Devil Bringer, if she remembered correctly, and Urizen ripped his arm off him to claim the blade.

This fucker was going down the moment she found him. 

The van screeched to a halt, skidding across the floor before finally settling down. Cassandra slowly lifted her head, seeing the interior of the Qliphoth from the other side of the window. She frowned at the sight, slowly getting up. She slipped out of the van, looking around.

“Good Earthmother below…” She murmured, taking in the gruesome sights of the interior of the Qliphoth. “Certainly looks like it came from the Underworld. Smells like it too-” She heard flapping and whipped around. Above her was Griffon, carrying...Nero. A Nero that looked quite...

“No…” She whispered. “Oh Earthmother no…”

Nero fell to the ground with a graceless thud, dropped by the demonic familiar. Griffon fell next to him, visibly exhausted from the effort. Whatever he said, Cassandra didn’t hear. She scrambled to Nero’s side, her hands shaking from panic.

“No no no no Nero not you…” She muttered, trying to figure out what to do and keep herself from losing her cool over the beat-up form of her son. Her eyes glanced up and down his body, bloodied and battered from his fight with Urizen. She quickly dove her hand into his pocket, seeking the only thing she knew that could bring him back to her. Her hands clutched the green marble-sized orb, pulled it out of his pocket, and slammed it into his chest. It broke under her hands, sending thin tendrils of shimmery green energy across his chest. 

_‘Nero please...come back to me…’_ Was the only thought in her head as she watched, hoping and praying that he would come back. After a few tense moments, Nero took in a breath and opened his eyes.

“...fuck.” He breathed, closing them again. “That bastard hur-” He was interrupted by Cassandra pulling him into her arms, holding him as close as she could. 

“I’m here Nero. My sweet baby boy…” She whispered. “Fuck, I thought I lost you…” She pulled back, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead. Wet tears of relief slipped down her face. “Please, Nero, don’t do that again...I can’t save you a second time.” 

Nero was quiet before, in a soft voice, he said “I will. Thanks, Mom.”


	14. Reprieve

_ June 15th, 12:36pm _

“I was not going to cry!” Agni huffed at the teasing of his brother.

“You were going to cry!” Rudra retorted playfully. 

“Boys, not now.” Cassandra gently chided as she bandaged up Nero’s wounds from the battle. Despite the last of her light saving Nero from an early demise, he still needed care. Nero looked to the twin scimitars, confused.

“Who are they?”

“Agni and Rudra, they’re some of Dante’s old arms that I’m...long-term borrowing.” She glanced to her hip. “I also picked up Pandora and Gilgamesh, just in case. Pandora’s form right now is a lot like your Blue Rose...minus the need for bullets. And Gilgamesh helps protect me out in the field.” She explained. Nero glanced to Gilgamesh on her.

“So, are you gonna use kung-fu moves like Dante?” He asked, a grin on his face. Cassandra laughed.

“No, I won’t be doing that. Gilgamesh is nothing more than protective armor, as I’ve said before. Kung fu isn’t even my specialty. It’s stabbing.” 

“Well, you’ll be doing more slashing than stabbing.” Agni said.

“What’s the difference?” Rudra asked. 

“Slashing is diagonal, stabbing is a thrust forward. Usually.” Cassandra explained simply. “But some people can make a sword do both. Different swords for different jobs, after all.” She leaned back. “There, you’re all patched up. Now please be more careful when we get back into the fray.” She said before standing up, stepping out of the van. She circled around the vehicle to Lady, who was staring off into space. 

“Hey.”

“Any sign of Dante?” Cassandra asked. Just as Lady was about to respond, a rush of demonic energy caught their attention. Dante stood, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Lady smirked.

“Speak of the devil…” Cassandra murmured, shifting her weight to the other foot. 

“And he shall appear. Good thing none of us are worse for wear.” Lady nodded to Cassandra. Stepping around the van at the sound of Dante’s arrival was Lady and V. V slowly made his way to a stump-like growth of Qliphoth, Trish keeping an eye on him. “I’m just gonna double-check.” Lady said before she made her way past Dante. The devil hunter watched her go before his eyes focused on Cassandra...or rather, what was on her back. He let out a groan.

“Oh nooo...you brought them, didn’t you?” Dante ran his hand down his face.

“Look, Lady brought them for me. I’m just using them because I’m fond of the boys and I need something to beat up demons.” Cassandra playfully retorted.

“We’re on an adventure!” Agni huffed.

“And you’re not invited!” Rudra added. 

“No, he’s part of the adventure. But he’s not gonna bang your heads together.” Cassandra corrected. The twin scimitars sighed. Dante echoed their sigh.

“Well, at least you look cute wearing my old stuff.” He smiled and walked over to ruffle her hair. “Now...where did that garbage god go? What is Urizen after?” He asked, glancing to V. 

“He’s at the top of the Qliphoth.” Came his tired reply. Dante glanced up, earning a head shake from Trish. 

“It's the other way around, Dante. This is the lowest level of the Qliphoth's upper echelon.” Oh good, more travelling through the Qliphoth. Cassandra didn’t like the sound of that. 

“It’s been draining the city dry of human blood to make a fruit with divine power.” Cassandra added. 

“The fruit born through the Qliphoth is even more dense than the blood that created it. It’s power is unparalleled. Even the almighty Mundus used it to become king of the Underworld.” Trish glanced to the decaying poet. “V told us everything.” Dante glanced to V before sighing.

“Yeah well, that's a lovely story and all, but... as long as we know where to find him.” Dante stepped forward, looking all but ready to go take the battle to Urizen again. Cassandra watched as Nico quickly darted in front of Dante, a light smirk on her face as she slowly walked behind Nico. She glanced down, seeing a worn cowboy hat in Nico’s hand. Cassandra could sense the demonic power within it, a Devil Arm perhaps? 

Regardless, there was no way was Dante getting out of this. And she would watch with complete amusement. 

“Whoa! You...are the infamous Dante!” Nico stammered, as if meeting an idol she had long for the chance to meet. “Um, I'm Nicoletta Goldstein. Sounds familiar?” Dante didn’t respond, holding his hand forward in a cute sort of awkwardness that made Cassandra smile. “My grandmother is Nell Goldstein. The gunsmith that made all your fancy weapons that you got... strapped... back there…” She gestured to his back. Dante reached back, pulling out Ebony and Ivory. Nico seemed to glow with excitement. “Yeah, there she is!” Cassandra leaned over her shoulder, glancing to the familiar reliefs of a woman she personally never met. Dante glanced to the reliefs, to Nico, and then to them.

“You don't look much like her…” Dante said warily. Nico seemed to deflate a little at that.

“Yeah, I got my looks from my daddy. That's about all I got from him. But based on research, I-I-I managed to cobble this-” She showed Dante the worn cowboy hat. “Um..it--it-- consider it a gift! In honor of us finally meeting!” She paused before clearing her throat, as if trying to restrain her excitement. “Meeting.” Dante took the hat, letting it rest in his hand. As if on it’s own accord, it jumped onto his head. An ethereal red scarf formed around his neck, reaching down past his hips. Cassandra noticed that his eyes were directly on her, past Nico, and a very familiar mischievous grin was on his face.

“Oh boy.” Cassandra frowned. “What are you going to do, mister wahoo pizza man?” 

And then he danced.

Cassandra had seen Dante do many things, perhaps just to make his enemies underestimate him before he annihilated them, perhaps to play the clown for a few minutes, perhaps just because he felt like it. But this? This over-the-top display of foolish indulgence for getting a worn cowboy hat that was most likely some sort of Devil Arm? With the not-subtle-at-all hip thrusts and ‘yahoo!’s? 

And what truly got her was the ‘yeah!’ at the end, him pointing directly at her, and fireworks going off behind him. Nico echoed his ‘yeah!’ with exuberance while Cassandra just burst out laughing. 

“I'll take that.” Dante grinned before walking over to Cassandra, who was recovering from laughing so hard. “It made my sis laugh, so it’s gotta be worth keeping around.” 

“Fucking hell Dante...you still surprise me, after all these years.” She chuckled, ducking a little from him ruffling her hair again. “Alright, let’s talk about battle plans.” 

“That better include me.” Nero said, walking up to flank Cassandra. “I'm gonna go too.”

“Why don't you sit this one out?” Dante huffed. Cassandra frowned.

“Oh, let you call me dead weight again? No thanks.” Nero retorted. “I got all the power I need. Right here!” He showed Dante his Devil Breaker. Dante glanced away, a look that told her that something else was on his mind regarding Nero.

“You don't understand. That's not what I mean-” 

“Both of you!” Cassandra snapped, stopping the two from going into a verbal brawl. The two whipped around to look at her. “Nero, you go talk with V about tactics. Dante, you’re coming with me. Alone. We need to talk.” 

“Oooh boy…” The older devil hunter groaned. Nero glanced to her, ready to object before a swift glare from her sent him into silence. He walked over to V while Cassandra grabbed Dante’s arm to drag him to the van. Once inside, she closed the door behind them and pulled Agni and Rudra off her back.

“Boys, mind sitting here for a hot minute?” Cassandra asked “Quietly? This is time for a serious discussion.” 

“Why should we?” Rudra asked. Cassandra looked at the two faces on the handles, knowing that they were directly challenging her. She smirked before kissing their heads, ignoring Dante’s exaggerated gagging. The two swords immediately fell silent, much to Cassandra’s amusement as she laid the twin scimitars on the small table.

“You spoil them.”

“Gotta make up for all the times you bonked their heads together and when you left them in the basement for twenty-some years.” She retorted. 

“What are you gonna do, give them grandma candies?” Dante asked, waving his hand. Cassandra leaned close, a mischievous grin on her face.

“I just might,  _ uncle _ .” She whispered. Dante made a face, the energy of the room taking a palpable shift. 

“Don’t you dare tell Nero shit.” 

“I’m not. But I told you when he first arrived, hiding the truth from Nero is gonna bite you in the ass one day.” She pointed out. “But that’s not why I pulled you away.” She leaned back.

“Then what is it?”

“Dante I…” Cassandra folded her arms. “I’ve...fuck, how do I approach this?” She muttered. Dante cocked his head to the side, visibly curious as to what she was trying to say. “Dante, there’s a spirit of some kind clinging onto me. I don’t know if it’s malevolent or not, I mean I guess it’s not? Because it led me to you? Fuck me, I don’t know.” She sighed. Dante thought about her words before smiling.

“Alright, guess it’s time for me to show you the Salt Trick.”

“The Salt what?” Cassandra asked, watching as Dante pulled out Ivory. With a flick of his wrist, the barrel of Ivory opened. He pulled out a bullet carefully and flicked the chamber open to allow the gun to be locked and loaded.

“You know where she keeps the salt?” 

“The salt? Uh, lemme go find some.” She ducked into a cupboard and shifted the junk around. The demonic aura was overwhelming, perhaps this was the stuff for Nico’s ‘pet projects’ as Nero called it. It certainly stank like it. Her hand grabbed a round container of table salt and pulled out of the cupboard, handing it to Dante. As she closed the cupboard, she heard Dante open the salt container. “Why salt?”

“Just wait and see lightspark.” Dante said patiently. Cassandra sighed.

“Nico’s gonna yell at you for making a mess.”

“Eh, it’s for a good cause. Hey kiddo, my gun is right here for you to shoot me, if not just tip the bullet over just to show that you’re not evil." He said nonchalantly. Cassandra turned to see him set Ivory down on the floor, facing the bullet. Around both, he poured a ring of salt around them. He stood up from the floor to sit down on the opposite side of her on the couch. She noticed a look of seriousness that she hadn’t seen on him in a long time. “So, tell me what happened to you.” 

“Oh...um, well…” Cassandra slid the gauntlets of Gilgamesh off her hands, setting them on the tiny table. She looked to her scarred left hand. “The demon that I was called to fight, he kept me away from the shop the entire month you were taking a nap. His poison seeped into Astra, weakening it without my knowledge, and weakened the blade until it...well, shattered while fighting a nasty demonic knight.” She held out her hand, as if trying to summon Astra, only for nothing to happen. Dante took her hand, fingers gliding over the scars. “I can only guess the same happened to Rebellion.”

“What makes you think that?” He asked, a soft chuckle in his voice. 

“You winced when I asked you about it. And, if you had Rebellion, it just would’ve come back to you by now. But you picked up the Sparda instead of calling Rebellion. Just like I picked up Agni and Rudra. I mean, Lady brought them but close enough.” Cassandra laughed awkwardly at that. Dante glanced up to her before squeezing his hand around her scarred one. 

“I didn’t want you to come and try to take my job.” 

“I thought you were dead, Dante, and you didn’t train a flake. I just took over the mission because leaving a mission unfinished is not something we do.” Cassandra squeezed his hand in return. Dante let out a sigh.

“So, what happened when Astra shattered?” 

“...I died, I guess. I found myself at the Green Havens, so I presume I must’ve died for some amount of time. I met my ancestor who told me I had a free pass because of my lineage but...I couldn’t go on. Not while you were missing. Not while Nero was risking life and the rest of his limbs to stop the stupid fucking houseplant. Not while the mission still had to be finished. So I told her I couldn’t go. My family needed me.” She noticed Dante’s expression, distant and far away. “You and Nero and the crew, they’re all family to me. I would never leave while they still needed me.” 

“Cassandra…” Dante murmured, his distant gaze finally settling on her. “When you came back...what happened?”

“Everything hurt like a fucking bitch, that’s what happened.” She reached over to boop his nose. He blinked, as if yanked out of that far away mindset. “Woke up, found myself unable to summon Astra, and Nico whipped up a sword for me to hit things with. Unfortunately, that sword melted in a demon’s gullet and exploded.” 

  
“Exploded?” Dante asked with a laugh. “Kinda wish I could’ve seen it!” 

And then, almost so quiet that she failed to hear, the bullet tipped over. 

Dante glanced over to the ring of salt around Ivory and the bullet, Cassandra following his gaze. The bullet was tipped over. Dante let go of her hand and got up, picking up the Ivory and the bullet. He put the bullet back in the gun and put it back in his holster behind his back. 

“I knew she wasn’t malicious Cass.” Dante said before glancing back behind him. “Hey kid. I noticed a box full of stuffed dolls over there. Go ahead and grab one. I’ll cover you.” He returned his gaze to Cassandra. Before he could say anything, the jukebox suddenly shut down. The sudden noise made Cassandra jump, while Dante passed a mildly disinterested glance to the jukebox. He walked over to a box and pulled out a small stuffed doll. Cassandra quickly noticed how similar it looked to Nightmare, perhaps Nico or V worked on it while she was unconscious? He set the doll next to the shower door before returning to her. 

“So, why salt?” Cassandra asked. Dante looked back to her 

“Salt’s a purifier.” He said, sitting back down on the couch. Cassandra quickly moved to sit next to him. Dante wrapped an arm around her. “Think of it like sage, I can't smell that cause it’ll make my insides hurt like a bitch. Salt too, unless my gloves are on. Wait… were you never told about demon repellents? Didn't that Eternis place teach you that?”

“...no.” Cassandra curled up. “They thought a lady would never need to fight. You know full well that my swordsmanship was mostly for shows, not for actual demon fighting.” 

“Your city sounds like Fortuna… . It sounds like a stuffy place if you ask me.” Cassandra laughed softly.

“Fortuna was run by a cult that worshipped your father. At least the Earthfaith is an actual religion. There’s a difference.” She pointed out. 

“And what’s the difference? They both sound like religious crazy people to me.” He teased gently. Cassandra whapped his arm as he laughed. 

“You know full well what the difference is! For one thing, they didn’t summon a bunch of demons or turned themselves into one! They…” She stopped, trying to remember what exactly they did. It was a part of her memory that was muddled, something that she tried hard but just...couldn’t remember. 

“Hey, you alright? You're spacing out again into something dangerous.” Dante said with genuine concern in his voice as he rubbed her arm. “Something wrong?”

“I can’t remember what they did…” She murmured. “I just remember a lot of pastel yellows and cheering...what did they do…” 

“Do you remember anything else? Feeling wise?” He asked. He quickly shifted on the couch to sit up, both hands on her shoulders for her to look at him. 

“...panic. Lots of panic and fear. I couldn’t have been much older than seven then...and there were a lot of people.

“Can you make out words? Were they fleeing?” He said, moving to hold her hands. “Take some breaths if you need too, Just relax.”

“No, they weren’t fleeing. They were celebrating. They were celebrating that someone died…” Dante blinked and did a double take before humming in thought.

“Like a war victory over an enemy? Didn't you say something about maidens defeating demons?”

“No no, nothing like that. No, it was...they were showering me in glory. I think. I remember a lot of eyes on me.

“Like creepy staring eyes, on stage eyes or spotlight eyes?”

“Mmn…I’m not sure. It was kind of like...I was put on a pedestal and everyone was looking up to me.” Cassandra frowned, not looking at Dante as she struggled to remember. “They...they were celebrating the Death of Darkness.” 

“Death of Darkness? That sounds a bit stupid but what was the darkness? You can't have light without dark. It’s like saying we keep the sun but get rid of the moon.”

“That was exactly what they were celebrating. And they weren’t referring to someone like Mundus.” Dante bristled visibly at the name. “Sorry.” She looked apologetic at mentioning the name. “But...I think...no, I remember...a child died that day. And they were celebrating her death like she was Mundus himself.” 

“Er Cass, I'd be careful saying that M name.” Dante said as if struggling to hold back. “Yer stirring up…  _ him _ …”

“Sorry…” She cowered a little, loosening her grip. 

“Yer fine, he means well.” He ruffled up her hair. “He just wants to protect you that’s all and gets a little… too excited to do that. But hey, at least you remembered something. That’s a start.”

“Yeah, that a child died and it turns out she was related to a bullshit prophecy that made her ‘the child of darkness, destined to bring Eternis Brillia to ruin’.” She huffed. 

“I mean spirits are easy to anger and bring misfortune… just like how I met Lady and Trish… wait… which spirit did I piss off this time?”

“She was a child!” She hissed before realizing what she just said. “Earthmother below, I wish I could remember her name. I know she was a year older than me but...I feel like I should know her name.”

“Think of it this way Cass. She’d roughly be the same age as you, if we’re technically speaking for spirit sake. The one latched onto ya is a little kid, around six or seven years old.”

“...that explains the times that I do hear her. She sounded like a child...but she guided me to you.” 

“...uhh what? Guided? A child guide?” He scratched his head with a sigh. “That’s a first.”

“Well, when me and V found the Sparda, we were arguing on how to get it to Nero. Then I heard her voice tell me hope lay below. Kinda cryptic but it led us to you.” She explained. “Our initial plan was to have Nero wield the Sparda, because V presumed that he was strong enough in heart and body to wield it. Helps that he’s also of Sparda’s bloodline.” 

“Uhh yeah about that whole uh… wielding the Sparda thing… I lost the sword.”

“...what.” Cassandra stared at him deadpan. “You lost the fucking Sparda!?” 

“Yes. But in my defense-”

“Oi!” Nero swung the door open. Dante perked up at the sound of Nero’s voice. “V says we need to move. Now.” 

“Cool! You two have fun!” Dante jumped up, a little too fast, and slipped past Nero throwing two finger guns on his way out. Nero let out a sigh before looking to the floor.

“Why is there a salt ring on the floor?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Cassandra said, getting up to grab the twin scimitars. Hoisting them onto her back, she went to the door to follow Nero. She paused to glance back.

The doll was gone. 

With a soft knowing smile, she stepped out of the van and followed Nero into the Qliphoth’s depths.


	15. Four Horsemen

The demonic energy around them, as they delved into the dark depths of the Qliphoth (or lofty heights, she should say, as the logic of the Underworld was inverse to the logic of the human world), seemed only to intensify. But Cassandra knew stopping would do them no good, so she forged onward, with Nero beside her, through the hordes of demons between them and where Urizen dwelled. The black tunnels of the Qliphoth seemed to be endless, the duo dropping into cavern after cavern of demonic hordes. 

“Ugh, these demons are relentless.” Cassandra huffed, yanking Agni from a demon corpse. “Is it because of asshole McGee downstairs?” 

“I guess.” Nero muttered. Cassandra glanced back to him, noticing his heart wasn’t in those words. He reached up with his flesh-and-blood hand and rubbed his nose awkwardly. “...Cassandra, can I ask you something?” Cassandra paused. Nero rarely called her by her full name, unless it was for something serious. She slid the twin scimitars back onto her back. 

“Anything, Nero.” 

“I...shit…” Nero rubbed the back of his neck. “After this...I was...kinda planning to tie the knot with Kyrie. I was wondering if-”

“Yes.” 

“Wait, what.” 

“The answer’s yes Nero. Whatever you need me to do.” Cassandra reached out to squeeze his shoulder. Nero stared at her, caught off-guard by her earnestness. “Mom-son dance? You got it. I’ll even teach you if I have to. Don’t know if the Order taught you how to dance but no time better than the present. Or what will be the present when this dumb tree falls.” 

“Thanks Mom.” Nero’s smile, as if the unease had been lifted from him, made her smile in turn. Ignoring the ‘awww’ from the twin scimitars, she pulled back her hand. 

“It’ll be a lovely wedding I bet. Man, I haven’t been to a nice wedding before.” She stretched, holding her hands behind her head. She knew of one wedding she had been in attendance too, a wedding she would rather forget, but Nero didn’t need to know that. ”If Kyrie needs help with anything, let me know, ok?”

“I haven’t talked to Kyrie about this yet, actually. I’ve been thinking it over for a while now but I haven’t...popped the question.” Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

“Have you and Kyrie at least talked about getting hitched?”

“Oh yeah, we have!” Nero nodded. “But getting hitched requires a lot of money. Ring, dress, the venue-”

“There’s ways to have a wedding without breaking the bank Nero.” Cassandra pointed out. “At the very least, the ring shouldn’t be worth three-months salary. Just don’t get a pawn shop ring. That’s asking for trouble. Not even if Kyrie really loves the ring.” 

“Of course not! That’s just tacky.” Nero frowned at that. 

“Good. Maybe I’ll get Morrison and see if he’s got anything on r-” The black ground suddenly rumbled underneath them. Cassandra stopped, looking to Nero. “RUN!” She yelled, darting forward. The ground suddenly collapsed, sending her down into darkness. She heard Nero yell for her, his voice echoing in the tunnel that she was rolling through. 

Cassandra grunted and groaned as her body collided with the smooth walls of the tunnel she dropped into, continuing down in the lightless tunnel. Echoing her grunts were Agni and Rudra, who she could only imagine were not so pleased with the sudden fall. She was suddenly spat out into a room, her body falling into the air. 

“SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!” 

“HOLD ON TOOTS I GOT YOU!” A familiar cry rang out before she felt talons cling to her shoulders. She glanced up, seeing Griffon above her. He swooped around, gliding her to the ground. She landed gracelessly, hearing Griffon land next to her. “Ow...you’re heavy.”

“Oh put a muzzle on it.” Cassandra huffed, standing up to come face to face with a very concerned V. Brushing the dust off her, she glanced back to a room aglow with a sinister purple energy. “What happened?”

“I do not wish to speak of it.” V said, turning away from the room. Cassandra frowned.

“Did something happen there?”

“Something terrible.” V said before walking away. Cassandra decided it wasn’t worth asking further, deciding to follow him and change the subject.

“How are you holding up, V?” She asked. V was quiet, a quiet that gave her no comfort. “V, you really need to take a breather at l-”

“I cannot.” He said. Cassandra could recognize that stubbornness anywhere, she heard it often enough with Dante. And knowing that V had limited time on his hands…

“Alright, but stay back if we come into conflict.” She said, moving ahead of him. “You don’t need to exert yourself with fighting small fry.” She wasn’t sure what was worse about the vampiric demon tree: the unnatural light or the throbbing sounds around her, like a gigantic heart. As she darted across the path of hardened Qliphoth branches, she spotted a clot of the Qliphoth in the distance. She pulled out Pandora, shooting it’s demonic ammo into the bulbous growth. After a few shots, it exploded, causing the roots it was connected to to fade into white dust. 

“MOM!” She heard Nero yell. Putting Pandora away, Cassandra looked over the edge of the path to see Nero staring up at them. She let out a sigh of relief. 

“I’m ok Nero! I got V!” She called. “Have you seen Dante yet?”

“No, not yet!” Nero replied. Cassandra looked back to V, who shook his head. 

“Neither has V!” She yelled back to Nero. “Keep going, but be careful of demon ambushes!”

“You got it!” With that, Nero darted off. Cassandra let out a soft sigh as she moved back onto the path. “Wonder where the fuck Dante went.” She muttered. She took a passing glance to V, who had remained awfully quiet. Perhaps even speaking was taxing? She didn’t know and, the more he crumbled away, the more she worried about him. She darted ahead, scouting ahead for demons. What she found was another barrier of Qliphoth roots and the nearby clot keeping it stable, to which she promptly shot with Pandora. 

“Really wish I had those gardening shears.” She muttered, as the Qliphoth roots blocking their way turned to dust. As she moved ahead, she noticed the path split off into two. The left was hued in that familiar violet light, a light that made her uneasy, while the other was bathed in amber-gold. Not that the light made her any more comfortable. She looked to V, sensing a powerful demon in the violet-lit path.

“That way’s got a powerful demon ahead. I can sense it.” She murmured. V glanced ahead before looking to the other path. 

“Cassandra. Go.” V whispered, his breathy voice still clinging to what commanding presence he could pull off with his current state. He moved to position himself in front of the violet-hued passageway. “I cannot be in two places at once...and I’ll need all the help I can get to meet you where Urizen is.” 

“Splitting up sounds like the shittiest idea ever.” Cassandra huffed. V let out a sigh, leaning against his cane before stepping forward. 

“I am no more fond of the idea than you are...but are either of us really alone?” He asked. Cassandra frowned, her eyes glancing to V’s tattoos before back to Agni and Rudra, who were busy keeping their mouths shut. 

“When you put it like that…” She muttered. “Fine, I’ll take this path. But you better keep your ass from getting into trouble.” 

“I cannot promise anything...but I will do my best to pick my fights.” 

“Good. Just...be careful, OK?” She took his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “We’re so close to the endgame. Just a little farther, and we’ll bring Urizen down.” 

“With confidence like that, even a prince would fall to his knees.” V murmured. Cassandra could feel warmth rising in her cheeks. “Keep that confidence Cassandra. We will need it.” With that, V stepped back and moved up the violet-hued passage. Cassandra watched him go before moving down the second passageway.

“You like him, don’t you?” Agni asked.

“I’ve grown fond of him, I’ll admit that much.” Cassandra panted as she darted down the passageway. “This presence...can you boys feel it?”

“It’s cold.” Rudra said. 

“Reminds me of Cerberus!” Agni seemed excited about that.

“Not Cerberus! A bigger one!” Rudra snapped. 

“A Cerberus, huh.” Cassandra mused. “Big three headed dog, I guess?”

“YEAH!” The two swords exclaimed in unison.

“Dante told me a story about how he beat a Ceberus. It was a couple years before I met him.”

“You don’t know about Temen-ni-Gru?” Agni asked.

“Only bits and pieces. It was where he forged a partnership with Lady, got you two and Nevan, but that was all he ever told me.” Cassandra explained. “And the legend of Temen-ni-Gru, but I had to look up that one myself.” 

“Arkham and Vergil raised the tower, we remember that.” Agni said.

“I didn’t like Arkham.” Rudra muttered. “There was something about him that I didn’t like.”

“Sounds like a creepy old guy, with a name like that.” Cassandra commented. Agni and Rudra let out a noise of agreement. “But Vergil...tell me about Vergil.” 

“Dante never told you about Vergil?” Agni sounded surprised at that.

“Of course not! It’s what the humans call ‘a tender subject!’” Rudra retorted. 

“Boys, boys, calm down.” She sighed. “Remember, you two are next to my ears.” The twin scimitars fell quiet. “But tell me what happened to Vergil.”

“Dante and Vergil fought over who would claim Sparda’s power. Vergil lost and fell to the Underworld.” Agni said. 

“We fought with Dante but we didn’t see Vergil fall. We knew he won because Dante’s hand was cut with Yamato.” Rudra added. Cassandra hummed at that. It was quite a bit to think about, more than she had ever known happened to Dante. 

“Dante must’ve held hope that he would see Vergil again.” She said after a few minutes of silence. “When I first met him, he was cheerful. Didn’t wear a shirt. I thought he was an idiot back then. But then he left for Mallet Island, to fight Mundus.” She felt the swords shudder against Gilgamesh. “And he wasn’t the same when he returned. Something must’ve happened to Vergil in the underworld to have shaken up Dante that badly. I can only imagine how badly Mundus mutilated Vergil to throw Dante off, as if sending Trish as a lure wasn’t bad enough.” 

“But he still lives.” Agni murmured.

“Through Nero, yes. And Nero doesn’t know it yet. I’ve been waiting for Dante to finally spill the beans because I respect him enough to not do it for him.” Cassandra let out a sigh. “I can only hope Dante tells him soon. Nero deserves to know, after everything that’s happened, and every day Nero’s left in the dark isn’t going to make the truth hurt any less.” The path began to slope downward. She could hear the familiar revving of that demonic motorcycle. A grin crept on her face. 

“Ready for some action boys?” Cassandra asked, reaching back to take the twin scimitars. 

“READY!” The two yelled in unison. Cassandra could see that the path they were on was ending into a drop. Quickly glancing down, she saw Dante fighting a surprisingly large demon, bathed in amber light. She unsheathed the blades, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Dante sliced at the demon, sending it backward from the assault and right under the hole she was looking down into. 

“Now!” She leapt down, her arms moving to combine the two ends of the scimitars together.

“ASHES TO ASHES!”

“DUST TO DUST!” 

The flames and wind they produced licked harmlessly against her as they slammed into the demon. The demon let out a roar as wind and fire burned through its body, spreading demonic innards all over the floor. Separating the twin scimitars, she stood up amidst the carnage and stared at Dante, panting to catch her breath. 

“Well, isn’t that cute.” Dante hummed, leaning back. He wiped his fist across his mouth, wiping off the blood that had splattered onto him. 

“Let’s get going.” Cassandra said, pointing Agni to the exit of the room they had landed in. “Agni and Rudra said that they sense a presence that’s similar to Cerberus. You know, the demon you told me about a long-ass time ago?” 

“Oh yeah, that puppy.” Dante said with a hum. 

“I doubt it’s a puppy.” Cassandra pointed out. “The duo said the presence was stronger than ‘a puppy’ so we’ll need to watch out for that.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” He turned heel and began to walk away. Cassandra let out a huff.

“You’re not leaving me behind Dante!” She snapped. Dante turned, looking ready to argue with her. “And don’t you dare tell me it’s gonna be too much for me.” 

“It-” He glanced up and stopped. Cassandra glanced to the pommels of Agni and Rudra, who were glaring fiercely at him. He glared at them back, the trio locked in a stalemate. Cassandra let out a sigh.

“I think you’re outnumbered on this Dante.”

“No I’m not.”

“Are too!” Agni and Rudra huffed. 

“And I’m gonna go on ahead and get in trouble if you three don’t stop acting like children.” Cassandra threatened. Dante groaned and turned around, heading through the exit. Cassandra followed him and looked over the edge, seeing sickly golden-yellow platforms. “Those look fragile.” 

“No they don’t.” Dante countered. 

“Ok then, mister ‘I’m obviously right’, go ahead. I’ll stand right here and watch you.” She hummed. Dante jumped off the platform they were standing on and onto one of the sickly-like platforms. He did a little bounce.

“See, I told y- woah!” The platform suddenly fell from under him, sending him careening down below. Cassandra rolled her eyes before leaping to a more study platform. 

“I told you Dante. They look fragile.” She huffed. She looked to the fragile platforms before quickly jumping across them, not wanting to stay on any longer than she had to. “I know you have a brain and I’ve seen you use iiiTTT SHIT!” The platform she had landed on crumbled earlier than she thought, sending her tumbling towards the ground. Dante leapt forward, catching her.

“Gotcha!” He held her up, grinning. “Didn’t know the weather called for a shower of lovely ladies.” Cassandra snorted.

“You stop that. You’re the one who didn’t listen to me.” 

“I knew I was gonna be fine.” Dante said, easing her onto her feet. “If I wasn’t down here to catch you, you might’ve broken something.” She frowned at that. Dante’s half-demon blood made him more resilient to such things like broken bones...unlike her.

“Fine, fine, I’ll give you that.” She waved her hand. “Thank you for catching me.” Dante laughed and ruffled her hair. Cassandra let out a huff before continuing on with Dante by her side. She noticed the amber lighting was starting to shift to darker tones, into a faintly familiar violet, while a chill began to permeate the air. Her mind went to V, hoping that he wasn’t in trouble. 

“Chilly?” Dante’s voice roused her from her thoughts.

“No. Why?” She asked. He jerked his head over. Ice seemed to crawl out of the path forward, a visible chill emanating from the whole. 

“Oh fuuck me, that’s gonna be slippery to traverse.” Cassandra grumbled before a thought popped in her head. “Unless…” She looked down to the greaves of Gilgamesh, focusing hard. After a couple moments, she lifted up her foot. On the bottom of the greave were little spikes, for traversing across the icy surface beyond. “Perfect!”

“Aww…” Dante frowned. “Wish I could do that.”

“I mean, you could just use your Devil Trigger and zip around. Maybe even melt the ice a little.” Cassandra teased. “I’d hate it if you tripped and broke the ice.” 

“I break the ice all the time!” Dante playfully retorted.

“Oh yeah, the time you rolled up in Fortuna in that cowboy garb. Chaps and all.” Cassandra said with a laugh, going on ahead. “It was such a look that I’m certain Lady took the chaps to make sure you never wore that again.” 

“So that’s where they went…” Dante muttered, a hint of sadness in his voice. “Another payment. Great.”

“If it’s any consolation to you, you had way too much power in that old outfit. You keep saying you have bad luck with the ladies but I’m preeettyy sure you got some new fans while wearing that old get-up.” Cassandra pointed out. “That’s why Lady took the chaps.” 

“Not the chaaaps…” He whined. Cassandra was about to retort when a distant rumble caught her attention. 

“You got any idea what that was, Dante?” She asked, glancing to him. She noted the serious expression on his face. 

“Something big.” He murmured. “I’ll handle this-”

“If it’s big, we’re handling it together.” Cassandra interrupted. “I handled a big snake demon fine on my own. Whatever this fucker is between us and Urizen, we’ll wallop it’s ass in no time.” Dante let out a sigh.

“Alright. But I’m keeping it’s attention on me. You stay back and shoot, got it?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Cassandra muttered, her hand taking Pandora out from it’s holster. “Lead the way.” Dante nodded, continuing on. The duo came across a hole, covered by sharp ice stalagmites covering most of the hole aside from a break that acted as an entranceway. 

“It’s no red carpet.” Cassandra hummed. 

“Demons aren’t known for rolling out the red carpet.” Dante joked. “But let’s make an entrance anyway.”

“Your specialty.” Cassandra added as Dante jumped into the hole. She landed behind Dante and glanced up behind his shoulder, seeing a demonic three-headed dog in chains, body covered with ice and impaled with chains. A demon of that size, a guard dog? There was no way that was a position they accepted willingly. She frowned at the smell, a muted scent of blood from the ice around them. Despite the fact that it wasn’t as prominent as the rest of the journey through the Qliphoth, the scent was still terrible. 

“Only kings of the Underworld may enter these gates!” The demon roared, sending a foul wind their way. Cassandra winced at the smell. “You shall not pass!”

“Wooah, easy there fella.” Dante laughed, in that joking tone that made her smile, the hunter completely unaffected by the roar. “Hey...I remember a stinky little pooch just like you!”

“You insult me, foul-scented creature!!” The demon pulled at it’s bindings in wrath, snarling and growling at Dante. 

“Looks like your master's got you on a pretty short leash.” Dante commented. “Come on, little puppy, I'll take you out for a walk, c'mon! Let's go!” Cassandra smiled and rolled her eyes at his antics, which succeeded in only aggregating the Cerberus further.

“You have fought our kin in the past…” The demon growled before rearing up to roar. “But I am king of the Cerberus tribe! They were weak! But WE will feast on your flesh and gnaw on your bones!” With a defiant, earth shattering roar, the chains that held it at bay shattered.

“So, you're the strongest of the litter…” Cassandra hummed thoughtfully. “Got all the bluster for it.” 

“Looks like we're gonna need a bigger leash! Come on!” Dante taunted. The Cerberus let out a furious roar, it’s head flaring up with fire. Suddenly, from it’s body, a furious flare of fire melted the ice in the room. Cassandra held up a hand, protecting her eyes from the embers. 

“Get in there Dante and start hitting!” Cassandra yelled. With a swift movement, the motorcycle came into existence. He hopped on and shot forward, the motorcycle zooming across the floor to the demon. Cassandra kept back, firing Pandora’s demonic bullets at the demon. Their plan did seem to be working, as the Cerberus, no, King Cereberus if his claim held any truth in it, seemed to be more interested in Dante and his antics (and weaponized motorcycle) than her. She smirked at the sight of the motorcycle riding into the flaming head of Cerberus. 

“A petty demon like Bael is nothing before me!” The Cerberus roared, throwing Dante off it’s hulking form. The flames receded, replaced with fierce shards of ice. 

“Huh, this puppy’s a bit stronger than the rest of the breed.” Dante panted. King Cerberus roared at Dante, sending chunks of ice down from the ceiling. 

“Get the motorcycle out and get moving!” Cassandra yelled. “I got an idea!”

“Is that better than mine?” Dante asked, the motorcycle appearing from thin air. Cassandra hopped on, a hand grabbing the back of his jacket.

“DRIVE!” She yelled as ice fell from the ceiling. Dante quickly drove forward, Cassandra aiming Pandora at King Cerberus. Gunshots rang out in the air, the bullets finding their mark in the demon’s thick hide. King Cerberus howled from the bullets, swinging it’s heads to focus on Dante and Cassandra. 

“Feel my thunder!” It roared, lightning bursting from it’s body. Cassandra quickly jumped off the motorcycle, rolling on the ground. Throwing Pandora back into its holster, she pulled out Rudra. She spun the blade around, winds starting to form around the blue scimitar. 

“Twister!” Rudra roared, the electricity caught in his winds. Cassandra grabbed the handle of the blade and sliced, the wind and electricity thrown back at King Cerberus. It slammed into him, sending the demon back and howling in pain. 

“YEAH!” Agni roared on her back. 

“Dante, now’s your opening!” Cassandra yelled. Dante charged forward, a new blade in his hand. It seemed to glow, like magma under jagged rocks, before it sliced into the exposed underside of King Cerberus. Spectral blades flew around him, slashing at the demon. Cassandra could only watch, wondering where the new sword came from.

“It’s the Sparda…” Agni murmured.

“No, brother, it’s Rebellion!” Rudra hissed.

“No, it’s both.” Cassandra said, quieting the scimitars. “It’s Dante.” She watched as King Cerberus was flung away, the demonic gatekeeper roaring out it’s last before collapsing, it’s body finally still. Cassandra jogged over to Dante, who was panting a little as the body of the giant demon turned into dust. Amidst the dust, a crystal shimmered. It looked like a chunk of ice, a hint of warmth and sparks encompassing it’s form. Dante reached out, taking the crystal. In his hands, it formed a nunchaku, a familiar sight to Cassandra. It looked quite similar to Cerberus. She knew it had been felled, Dante didn’t return with it last time he went out, before the tree rose from the dark depths of the Underworld. 

She took a step back, knowing that Dante wanted to try out his newest toy. 

Dante grinned, wielding the new Devil Arm with ease. She watched as he spun it around, stretching every capability of the new weapon as if he had it forever (and making obnoxiously cute kung-fu noises in the process). Ice and lightning flared from the new weapon, making an interesting show, until it turned into a flaming staff. Dante slammed the burning end into the ground where King Cerberus stood. It fell, revealing a hole of shining, almost blinding light. 

“I guess that’s the way forward.” Cassandra said, stepping forward. She jumped into it, only for Dante to grab her by the scruff of her jacket and set her next to him.

“Wooah there lightspark, I think this is a bit too dangerous for you.” He joked. Cassandra frowned.

“I’m sorry? I fought a giant fucking snake demon, a demon knight that killed me for about thirty minutes, a spider that some demon witch revived, every fucking demon between them all, and your new toy.” Cassandra growled. “I can handle Urizen.” 

“Cass, that’s not-”

“And even if you think I can’t, I’m not letting you go down there alone.” 

“ **_That’s not what I mean!_ ** ” The demon within Dante snarled, startling Cassandra. Dante let out a rough exhale. “Cass...look, the fact that you already got killed from this is already hard enough. Just because you came back once doesn’t mean you’ll come back a second time.” Cassandra pressed her lips in a thin line. She knew she wouldn’t come back a second time but didn’t vocalize it. He didn't need that obvious statement. Dante lowered his head before jumping into the light. Cassandra watched him go, unsure what to do. 

  
_ ‘Dante…’ _ She thought, slowly pulling off one of the gauntlets. She stared at her scarred hand, the scars of Astra shattering, the light of the Earthmother dying through saving Nero's life.  _ ‘All this is gonna be for nothing if you die to him. The shit we’ve been through...it has to end now.’ _ She put the gauntlet back on and jumped into the light, following Dante into the unknown.


	16. Brothers

_June 15th 02:01pm_

It was like stepping into a painting. Cassandra looked around, seeing wide-open fields surrounding her. Were they not in the depths of the Qliphoth? No, they were. She could feel the demonic energy under her very feet, strangling the oxygen in the air. Her gaze rested on Dante, who seemed to not have noticed her presence yet. Beyond him was a demon, wrapped in vines like gaudy armor. That had to be Urizen, what V and Nero had spoken about again and again. And yet, beyond that, was the illusion of a manor. She wondered what significance that manor had, it looked like the exact same manor that V had pointed to, when he bore his heart out. 

“Hey, is that the damn fruit you've been jabberin' about?” Dante’s voice rang out in the illusionary world around them. “Doesn't look so special to me.” Cassandra stared at the fruit that Urizen was staring at. The apple-shaped fruit throbbed unnaturally. Cassandra, with a sudden sense of disgust and sickness, realized that all the blood that the Qliphoth had gathered was for that one fruit. Dante looked around them, a dry mirthless laugh following his gaze.

“Yep, this is where it all started. That day mother saved me and... left you behind.” He paused, as if the very words hurt him. He stepped forward to Urizen. “The thing you don't know is, she tried to save you, too. She kept searching and searching...until it killed her.”

She realized, all too suddenly, that this was no ordinary manor: This was Dante’s home. Not just Dante’s home, but Vergil and V’s as well. It had to be. 

Dante hadn’t noticed her presence or, if he did, he didn’t verbalize it. He was more focused on Urizen- No, that wasn’t his true name, was it? It was Vergil, soul mutilated twice by Mundus. She could only presume this was some far-reaching plan by the now dead Prince of Darkness, to continue to force the two brothers to fight again and again, to wear down Dante’s heart until he could go on no more. Even with Dante’s words, trying so hard to reach the demon’s core, the demon did not react to his presence, too enthralled by the blood-born fruit that was waiting there for him to take.

“I have no recollection of this tale, or this place.” The usurper rumbled, a voice she half-expected from the demon. “It's all an illusion, created by this extraordinary fruit. It's power, you see, is all I ever wanted.” He took the fruit, pulling it from the gnarled tree it came from. “And with this…” Dante surged forward, Cassandra instinctively following at his heels to stop the demon. “I will have everything!”

“NO!” She wasn’t sure if the cry came from her or from Dante, as Vergil imbibed in the bloody fruit. Above them, the illusion broke, like a mirror that some invisible force had punched. The vines that made up his armor fell away, falling to the ground and turning into dust.

“Brother, you don't have everything.” Dante growled. “That last shred of humanity that you still had? You just lost it!”

_‘Or was it ripped away from him by Mundus, I wonder?’_ Cassandra thought. _‘Is the Vergil before us just a husk, bent only on power because it’s all it knows?’_

“That.” Vergil growled, more of the Qliphoth that he had used to protect himself falling to the ground, shed as it was no longer needed. “Is nothing but the pitiful cries of those without strength. Come to me, brother... I shall enlighten you, Dante!” Cassandra tsked at the show of power, the larger demon roaring out to intimidate his kin. It seemed that, for now, the duo were focused only on the other.

“Same plan as usual Dante. Keep his attention and I’ll provide support from behind.” Cassandra muttered, pulling out Pandora. She could feel Agni and Rudra shudder against her back.

“Can we win?” Agni murmured.

“We will win. Or we will die. It ends here regardless.” Cassandra squeezed Pandora’s handle, finger on the trigger. “And I’m betting my money on us winning.” 

Dante surged forward, his new sword coming to him on command. He slashed at Vergil, meeting his elder brother’s fists. Cassandra began to fire, bullets singing through the air and making their mark. To her surprise, Pandora’s bullets didn’t seem to leave much of an impact on the demon. It seemed as if the Qliphoth had given him some sort of resistance to Pandora. 

“Fuck…” She muttered. “We’re gonna need more firepower if we want to take down this bad boy.” She watched as the two fought, Dante and Vergil both going at each other with fist and kick attacks. Cassandra aimed for one of the many eyeballs on Vergil’s demonic body, continuing to fire Pandora despite knowing it’s lack of effectiveness against him. 

It was all she had until something drastic happened. 

_‘Kicks and punches, is that all this guy has?’_ Cassandra thought, watching Dante pull out Devil Arm after Devil Arm to keep up with his brother’s assault. _‘There has to be something m-’_ She was yanked out of her thoughts when a rather forceful kick sent Dante flying.

“DANTE!” She yelled, looking to Pandora. “Fuck this, come on Pandora, give me your best!” The gun began to glow a hot red, enough to make her let go. It transformed into a strange contraption, still glowing a hot red. She immediately pulled out Agni and Rudra, watching as it morphed and grew into an orb. She had seen it once before, PF594 Argument, as Dante had claimed. But now, it had a spectral driver. Perhaps this was it’s ultimate form, it’s ultimate sacrifice.

“Sorry Nico, I can’t keep that promise to preserve Pandora...but this is for Dante!” She swung the twin scimitars against the back of Pandora, sending it flying to Vergil. Vergil turned just as Pandora slammed into him with a grand explosion. She heard the twin scimitars cheer at the explosion of Pandora's form, it's last hurrah before it's demise. As the smoke cleared, she noticed the explosion left a sizable burn on Vergil's body. 

Cassandra realized, with growing fear, that it also redirected his attention from the downed Dante to herself. Vergil threw out his hand, sending pillars of blazing blue flames through the smoke towards her.

"Agni!" She called, spinning the red scimitar. 

"Firestorm!" It yelled, catching the blazing blue flames. Just like she did with King Cerberus, she flew the flames back at Vergil. Vergil took the brunt of the firestorm, letting out a low growl. With a wave of a hand, thin pale violet beams surged forward. Cassandra quickly grabbed Rudra and held the twin scimitars up to defend herself, violet light slicing into her clothes. She glanced up, quickly seeing her opportunity to deal some damage. 

"Together, once more!" Cassandra called, dashing forward along the broken ground. 

"ASHES TO ASHES!"

"DUST TO DUST!" 

The blades spun as she ran, wind and flame rushing at her side as she sprinted towards the demon. 

"Such child's play." Vergil sneered at her. As she approached, he easily guarded against her attack. He grabbed the two blades and threw her to the side. She rolled along the ground, looking up to watch as he crushed the scimitars in his hands, the twin's agonized screams echoing around them. He then crushed the pommels before throwing them back at her, the two shuddering in their dying moments.

"Agni...Rudra..." Cassandra panted, staring at the crushed and rapidly disintegrating pommels. 

“Thank you…” Agni wheezed out.

“For the...adventure…” Rudra finished. Cassandra lowered her head, wanting to cry, to grieve for them, but now was not the time for grieving. Now yet. 

"I'll fucking beat this bastard with my bare hands. I promise, to the both of you." She growled, getting up. The two went still as they turned into dust, Cassandra barely able to see the twin blades smile one final time. She stared up at Vergil, who tilted his head at her like a child looking upon something it did not recognize. 

"You still stand...as if you have any hope of standing against a god." Vergil mused, emerald eyes staring down at her. She settled into a fighting stance, just like Dante taught her.

"I'll keep standing to the bitter end." She spat. "No matter how many commanders you send at me, no matter how hard you tear me down, I will keep standing. Just try and fucking stop me! You couldn’t stop me with Ouroboros or Malphas, what makes you think you’ll fare any better?" Vergil slowly blinked, staring at her. After a moment of consideration, his lips creased into a scowl.

"Very well! This is true power!" He roared, charging forward. Cassandra let out a battle cry, ready for his charge, ready to fight him. 

Before Vergil could make an impact, she was swept away by something blazing hot. She instinctively clung onto it, watching as she soared above Vergil. 

"You DARE fight me with that form, Dante!?" Vergil roared. Cassandra looked up, seeing not Dante, but something truly demonic. Four wings flared out from a blazing orange body, covered with jagged scales. Four curved hours protruded from his head. Blazing orange eyes regarded her, head tilted as if wondering what she was going to do. 

“Dante…?” Cassandra asked softly. “Is that…you?” She received a purr from him, a comforting purr as she was set down. Once certain she was ok, he charged forward with a battle cry, body ablaze in fire. His sword appeared in his hand and plunged deep into Vergil, the other demon crying out in agony. Blood spurted out of him as the sword plunged deep into him, a fatal wound that Cassandra knew Vergil would not recover from.

“Mom!” Cassandra whipped around, seeing Nero stumbling forward. He was helping V forward, who was looking even worse, as if he was going to crumble apart at any moment. “Is that…?”

“Vergil? Yeah, that is.” Cassandra glanced over to the duo, Dante leaping back and returning back to his human form in a burst of embers. He looked back and grinned at the group, hoisting his sword on his shoulder just like he did with Rebellion. Some things never changed, Cassandra mused.

“You're late! Just finishing up.” He let out a sigh as he walked over to them. He looked all casual, as if this was just another Tuesday to him, but Cassandra knew slaying his brother anew was probably ripping out his heart. She knew he was hiding it, he only hid it better in front of Nero, who had never seen Dante upset or emotionally ripped apart before. 

“Dante...is that really your brother?” Nero asked in disbelief. 

“‘Fraid so.” 

“So he was behind all this. Your own flesh and blood…” Dante nodded again.

“I pity him, really I do…” Cassandra murmured. V began to make his way towards Vergil, leaving Nero behind. Cassandra could tell he was leaning hard on his cane, each movement appearing to be agonizing for him.

“In the last thrones of defeat, I see.” The decaying poet whispered, as if each word was painful to even say. 

“You…” Vergil growled, a strained noise.

“V, get back!” Dante called. “Things are about to get really messy.” He stepped forward. Cassandra rushed to V’s side, ready to take him away from Vergil’s dying body, but V held up his hand. 

“No. Please...let me.” V said, straining to command Dante to stay his blade. “I want to end this battle...with my own hands.”

“At least let me help you get there, V.” Cassandra jogged to his side, undeterred by his request. Dante let out a sigh, stepping back to Nero. Cassandra wrapped an arm around V’s side, supporting him as they approached the dying demon.

“Where are Agni and Rudra?” V asked. 

“He crushed them. They’re dead.” 

“I’m sorry.” V lowered his head. “You seemed to be quite fond of them, in the short time you knew them.” 

“They were good Devil Arms, to the very end.” She nodded. “But grief will have to wait. This has to end before we can begin to heal.” She helped V onto Vergil, noticing how his hand lingered against her skin before he stood on top of the dying demon. She stepped back a little. Vergil made a move, as if trying to stand up, but fell back to the ground, too weak to throw off the dying man above him.

“Do not struggle.” V said, a rather chilling calm in his voice. “For if you can't even defeat me, then you've already lost.”

“I will not lose...not to Dante!” Vergil snarled, despite his weakened state. “I need power...more power!”

“I know...We are one in the same, you and I.” The tone of V’s voice made her blood freeze. Something was off, something was wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. “But you've lost me...and I've lost you. Yet we are connected, by that one feeling. ‘While thy branches mix with mine, and our roots together join.’”

“V, what are y-”

“CASSANDRA GET OUT OF THERE!” Dante yelled, running forward. 

“Dante!” Cassandra looked back before a burst of energy sent her to the ground. She faintly heard Dante and Nero being flung back, away from them. She clung onto the bloodied mass of Qliphoth, the illusionary world around them falling to the floor and shattering all around them. She looked to where V and Vergil once were, holding her hand up as she tried to see past the blinding blue light. As the light began to fade, she could see the form of a man, with snow white hair, garbed in blue. In his hand was a familiar katana, the Yamato, it had to be. He turned around, looking beyond the empty space to them all. His eyes moved down, her eyes meeting his steel grey.

And then, with a startling realization, she knew. What they had been fighting for the past month was only half of Vergil, who she had traveled with for the past week, even loved, was still only another half.

This was Vergil, the Alpha and the Omega. Whole, at last.


	17. Kin Against Kin

_ June 15th 03:06pm _

All was silent, as if they were in a standoff. Vergil looked away from her. She followed his gaze, their eyes falling upon a familiar book: V’s book.

No, he wasn’t really V anymore, was he? He was Vergil, and that book was his.

“Vergil…” Cassandra whispered, slowly standing up. “The brother I’ve heard so much about…”

“Ya got some pretty big cojones for comin' back.” Dante growled. Cassandra looked to Dante, seeing a familiar rage in his eyes. “Just don't know when to quit, do ya!?” He sprinted forward before leaping, swinging his sword at Vergil. She barely stumbled back as Vergil effortlessly deflected his brother’s attack with Yamato’s scabbard. Vergil thrust forward, using the scabbard to put distance between him and his twin. Dante grabbed the scabbard and pushed back, sending Vergil backward. Dante landed roughly on the ground, staring down his kin like he was the only thing in the world. The two stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Cassandra glanced to Nero, who looked ready to jump into the fray.

“Out of my way, Nero!” Dante snarled, sprinting forward to meet his twin again in combat. Cassandra couldn’t stand aside any longer. 

"ENOUGH!" Cassandra snarled, dashing between the two brothers. "That's enough of this!" Dante skidded to a halt in front of her, eyes wide in confusion and indignation. 

"Cassandra. Move." 

"No." Cassandra stood her ground. "I'm not letting you two fall right back into whatever the fuck Mundus wants." She saw the wince, she knew he hated it when she spoke his name, but she didn’t care. She had to stop Dante from hurting himself all over again. "Can it not be him, orchestrating all this? All this pain, the grief you suffered for all these years, from beyond the grave Mundus has demoralized you and mutilated your brother into a monster. You weren't the same when you came back from that accursed island. Do you think I just forget the times you screamed out his name, in the thrall of your nightmares?" A silence fell between them, Cassandra shifting her footing to put herself in a more stable fighting stance. “We’re family, Dante. And no matter what, family sticks together. Even if said family really likes bringing up hell structures for some forsaken reason.”

"Move out of the way, Cassandra." Dante growled, the fire in his eyes flaring up. "Or you leave me with no choice." 

"Make me." Cassandra tensed up, waiting for the brawl. "I'm not going t-" Dante moved faster than she could blink, throwing her into Nero before charging forward to his brother. Nero caught her, grunting as he was pushed back from the force. Cassandra glanced up, barely seeing Vergil warp(?) forward, their swords straining against each other and making sparks fly. 

“Defeating you like this has no meaning.” Vergil said, a voice that surprised Cassandra. She didn’t expect Vergil to sound the way he did, compared to Dante’s rougher voice.

“C'mon, Vergil. Let's do this!” Dante goaded. Vergil shook his head.

“Heal your wounds, Dante. Get strong. After that, we'll settle the matter.” With that, he pushed him back towards Nero and Cassandra. Dante stumbled onto the ground, groaning from the show of power. Vergil turned, taking Yamato and slicing twice into the air. A portal opened up from the slices, earning a soft noise of surprise from her.

_ ‘The Yamato can do that!?’ _ she thought, looking up to Nero. Nero was still focused on Vergil, unsure of what exactly to do. Vergil paused and looked back, his gaze focused on Nero and her.

“Cassandra, Nero. Thank you.” With that, he walked through the portal. It closed behind him and, just like that, he was gone. And just like before, a silence reigned between them all. 

“Dammit!” Dante hissed, standing up. Nero helped Cassandra up before he went over to Dante. 

“Dante. If that's your brother, what happened to V?”

“He returned... to himself.” Dante panted. Cassandra looked to Nero, seeing the realization that bloomed on his face. “Go home, Nero. This doesn't concern you.” 

“Doesn’t concern me...like hell it doesn’t concern me! I lost my right arm because of him!” Nero snapped. Cassandra winced as she followed Nero, who was storming after Dante.

“This is not your fight.” Dante said. “I need to stop him, and that's all that matters.”

“I'm not gonna let you have all the fun, Dante!” Dante spun around to face Nero. 

“You don't get it!” 

“Lemme guess, I'm dead weight? You can shove that-”

“That's not it, Nero.” 

“What is it, then!?”

“He's your father!” Dante snarled. A harsh silence fell between the two. Cassandra bit her lip. This certainly wasn’t the way that she imagined the revelation to go. Nero stared at him, she could only imagine the hurt shock on his face. “I had the feeling, the first time I saw you, but I just wasn't sure. And then I saw how the Yamato reacted...and I was certain. He's your father.” Dante let out a sigh, patting Nero on the shoulder. “Now, he needs an ass-kicking...but I can't have you kill your old man.”

“And you think I’ll let you go kill your brother?” Cassandra stepped past Nero to Dante. “I meant it when I said I hadn’t forgotten your nightmares of slaying your brother.” Dante let out a sigh. “And also, you fucking threw me across the...whatever this is, the Qliphoth Dome?” 

“Cass, you stay out of it too.”

“Fucking make me!” She snapped. “There’s a far bigger fish to fry and we’re standing around in it’s stomach!” She gestured to the Qliphoth around them. 

“You think Vergil cares?” Dante retorted. “He didn’t care last time.” 

“Did he ever face the people who he hurt when he raised Temen-ni-Gru?” She retorted. “I thought so. But this time, it’s different. Vergil walked with me, he was here while you were off napping, saving people however he could, despite his frail body. Whatever he did at Temen-ni-Gru, he didn’t do here.” Dante narrowed his eyes at Cassandra, glancing up to her shoulders, where Agni and Rudra once were. 

“They told you, didn’t they?” 

“Told me enough about Vergil. I only added my own theory about the Prince of Darkness.” Dante let out a sigh. “Look, let’s say you take down Vergil and get the Yamato. Good. That leaves this stupid fucking houseplant around, free to continue to grow and do more harm. What then?”

“I’ll take care of it.” Dante glanced around. “I’d have to go into the Underworld to do that. Not the first time I’ve taken a vacation there.” He chuckled dryly at that. Cassandra crossed her arms, unamused at his attempt to joke. 

“Now isn’t the time for jokes. And the last time you went down there, you didn’t come back for two whole fucking years. Who knows when you’ll come back this time, if at all?” 

“Sounds like a good thing to me.” Dante said, his words now emotionless, worryingly so. 

“A good thing!? To break yourself again, more nightmares about what you could’ve done instead of murder your brother again, instead of jumping headfirst into the Underworld! You better explain how that’s a good thing to me, because the only way that that way of thinking ends is-” She stopped, unable to say it. But the look in his eyes, of numb resignation to a fate he seemingly could not stop, it told her everything. “Dante...no, you can’t…”

“Someone’s gotta do it Cass.” 

“Dante don’t fucking do it!” She grabbed his arm, only for him to pull away. “Dante, I swear to the Earthmother, if you go off and do this, I’ll drag your fucking ass back from the Grey Fields myself if I have to!” 

“Cass, you’ll be fine. Just keep an eye out for Nero, ok?” Dante smiled at her, a smile that was so fake he couldn’t hide it. With that, he dashed off, faster than she could run.

“DANTE! YOU IDIOT! DON’T GO WHERE I CAN’T FOLLOW!” She screamed, chasing after him before she tripped, stumbling to the ground. She looked up, seeing that he was gone. “DANTE!” She could feel the wet tears slide down her face, falling to the floor. She slammed her fist against the mass, hearing only a slick wet squelch in return. Slowly she stood and turned to face Nero, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. The revelation of his bloodline had rocked his world...and he looked like it, equal parts hurt that he was lied to, confused about what to do, and the rage that came with it all. He looked up to her, ice blue eyes watery. 

"Why...why didn't he tell me...how long did you know?!" She let out a sigh, an attempt to control her raging emotions to talk simply to the rightfully upset young man.

"I knew something was up the moment you walked into Devil May Cry. There's only one man I knew at the time with white hair and blue eyes and his name was Dante. I confronted him about it but...he just looked so miserable even barely talking about his brother." 

"So I was kept in the dark because he was sad about it? Is that it?" 

"You know about Mallet Island?" He shook his head. "It was a cursed fucking island and, on that island, something happened between Dante and Vergil. I don't know the details, I doubt he'll ever tell, but that day, Vergil did not step off that island as a living man. Or at least, as far as Dante knew he didn't. My guess is that Mundus used Vergil as more bait, dangling his broken body and using him as a puppet. Have Dante slay his brother, that’s one less spawn of Sparda running around. I imagine Mundus hoped that forcing Dante to kill his brother would demoralize him to give up. It didn’t work, since Mallet Island is under the sea now, but that’s only my guess as to what happened there. Whatever actually happened on that island, it left scars on him.” Cassandra looked away from him. “I know that feeling, watching your kin slip away...and you're helpless to stop it. I lost my mother when I was your age. I couldn't do a thing about it. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." She tried to not let her voice waver at the memory of her dying mother. She already cried once today and neither her nor Nero needed that, not now. "Imagine that, and then finding out that they had a child you never knew about. I think the reason he kept it to himself is that he feared losing the last of his blood family for what happened on that accursed pile of rubble at the bottom of the ocean.” She glanced up. “Family is...it's a precious thing Nero." Nero was quiet as he listened. After a moment, he nodded.

"I know...Credo was like a brother to me...and I wasn’t strong enough to save him. Back then, I wasn’t strong enough to save Kyrie when she got kidnapped..."

“Nero. You have endured so much hardship, more than I could ever fathom, and you're doubting yourself now? Look at how far you've come from when you started in the Fortuna Orphanage. You have beaten the odds time and time again.” She stepped forward, ready to hold his shoulder before stopping herself. “You're the grandson of Sparda, a devil hunter, and my son. Words cannot express my pride for you making it this far. Your legacy starts now and I can't wait to watch unfold in front of my eyes. But none of that clears my own guilt about being complicit in hiding the truth from you. I will not force you to forgive me but I hope I’ve left you something to think about.”

“What, where are you going?”

“Up the tree. I have to stop them from killing each other. If Dante won’t listen to me, hopefully Vergil will.” She looked to where Dante had walked through, an opening in the Qliphoth. “Dante doesn’t deserve to have his heart broken again by something he was forced to do, nor will I let him die by either his own hand or his brother’s. And he can’t stop me from trying to save him from himself.” She looked to her hands. “I might not have much, but I still have two hands. I have to stop them, no matter what. I just hope I’m fast enough to catch up to him.” 

“I’m coming too. I’m not letting you go after Dante without someone to watch your back.” Nero said. Cassandra stared at him before nodding. 

“Very well.” With that, Cassandra walked to the tunnel that led upward, where Dante went through to escape the dome they were in.

“Do you really think he’ll listen to me? Vergil?” Nero asked.

“I imagine so. He wasn’t that dumbass youth that raised Temen-ni-Gru. I imagine the trials he went through as V changed him. They must’ve. You can’t just go through the ruined Red Grave City and come out unchanged from all the demonic destruction.” Cassandra said. She was more hopeful than Dante was, at any rate. Nero nodded in agreement. With that, the two made the journey up from the Qliphoth’s heart.


	18. The Dreamer in the Darkness

_June 15 03:24pm_

Cassandra let out a gasp as she came out of the chute of blood, meeting cold fresh air. Nero had mentioned he had travelled through them but really failed to mention the sick feeling that would encompass them as they went. Not to mention, she was covered in blood. 

“I’ve been covered in worse shit...but never blood.” She panted as she stood. She looked around, finding herself alone. “Nero? Nero!” She looked up, seeing the chute empty of anyone coming through. She stood there, waiting for Nero, for a few minutes before letting out a sigh.

Once again, they had been split up. 

“Fucking Qliphoth...fucking Dante...fucking owes me after all this shit.” She grumbled, continuing onward. Despite being unarmed, she wasn’t helpless. Dante taught her the basics of close quarter combat, she could punch a demon in it’s ugly face if she had to. And she still had Gilgamesh, the protective armor that Dante once used to do kung-fu with. She couldn’t do all his blazing moves but she was protected by it and that was good enough for her. 

Her mind wandered to Dante and Vergil, the twin sons of Sparda. It didn’t seem that the familiars left V when he reunited with himself, the human heart of Vergil still bore the black hair and the markings of his contract with the familiars when he plunged the silver cane into his demonic heart. She wondered if they were still with Vergil or, perhaps with his reunification, they disappeared into smoke. 

If that were the case, she was gonna miss that sassy demon bird. 

Continuing up the Qliphoth, Cassandra panted and heaved as she made her way up. No more were the floors of the Qliphoth slick and wet, steps always having that uncomfortable squish to them. No, they were dry and hard, the blood they had drank up to make its fruit now gone. It was a miracle they were still here, able to give her a platform for her to walk and climb to stop the two brothers from going at it until they took their own lives, to leave the issue of the Qliphoth to her and Nero.

No, that wasn’t what Nero deserved, after all this time, after all the pain and agony he went through. 

“I’m not gonna let you two die if I have anything to say about it.” She grunted, hoisting herself onto another platform. “I can’t…let them die...”

“Woah woah woah that’s not Dante!” A familiar voice squawked. She felt a jaw bite onto the back of her shrug and pull her up the platform. She looked over, seeing a familiar set of paws.

“Shadow?” She looked up, seeing a surprised Griffon and an indifferent Nightmare. At least, she presumed Nightmare was indifferent, the lack of a face made it hard to tell what the golem really was thinking. “What are all of you doing here?” She asked, standing up. 

“Waiting for Dante.” Griffon fluffed up his feathers. Cassandra glanced around.

“I bet it’s not to roll out the red carpet for him.” She said. “I don’t see him here yet so that means he either took another path or I’m here before him.” 

“Look, you should really scram. Once Dante arrives, it’s gonna get real bloody real fast.”

“What makes you say that?” Cassandra asked, shifting on her heel. “It sounds like you...oh fuck me. Please dooon’t.” 

“We’ll stop Dante. Either he falls to us or he defeats us.”

“And by defeat, you mean kill.” Griffon nodded. “What the fuuck, I just yelled at Dante for this.” Cassandra groaned, running a hand through her blood-stained blond hair. “Why do you three have to die?”

“We were spawned from Vergil's abominable thoughts, from those dark days when he was Nelo Angelo.” 

“Nelo Angelo?” Cassandra tilted her head. “Is that what Mundus called him? Dark Angel?” She scoffed. “Uncreative, but back to the point. You’re his...nightmares, essentially?” 

“Yep. Smart cookie.” Griffon shifted on his talons, almost leering at her. “And nightmares may not be able to kill ya, but they can hurt!” Griffon flared out his wings, sending electricity her way. Cassandra held up her arms, the electricity slamming into Gilgamesh’s gauntlets. 

“Well that’s rude. But I think I get your point.” Cassandra said, lowering her arms. “V weaponized his nightmares against the mess he created but now it’s time for Vergil to wake up and face the world. Is that right?” The demonic bird nodded. “A shame, I was quite fond of you.”

“Who’s fond of a nightmare?” Griffon asked.

“When they swear up and down like a sailor. But you still have a good heart, Griffon.” Cassandra pointed out. “I know you still care about him, nightmare or not. Is that why you want Dante to end you personally, to remove any chance of you three returning to Vergil?”

“Or all this will start again. Might not be with the Qliphoth or Temen-ni-Gru but it will.”

“Ok...tell me a little more about Nelo Angelo. If you’re his nightmares from that time, you know what happened on Mallet Island. What actually happened, not my little theory about how Mundus dangled Vergil’s broken body and made him a puppet to demoralize Dan-”

“You’re right on the money!” Griffon laughed. “That was what he did, turned a proud son into a slave and set him upon his own brother...who killed him. It was not an easy process, it was long and terrible.” 

“And yet, I would expect nothing less for someone of his calibre.” Cassandra mused, looking to the ground. “This must have happened before I met Dante...so Mundus must have captured Vergil sometime during the whole Temen-ni-Gru incident, if Agni and Rudra told me correctly.” She glanced up to Griffon, who just nodded. She realized that Vergil must have been tortured by the Prince of Darkness for at least ten years before Dante stepped foot on Mallet Island. Even if Vergil’s capture wasn’t premeditated, how much after breaking him was? 

Shadow began to rub their head against her leg, snapping her out of her thoughts. She knelt down to scratch behind the demonic cat’s ears. 

“What if I take you three in?” Cassandra asked. Shadow perked up at that and looked to Griffon, who huffed.

“I mean, the big bad kitty likes the idea.” He said. He soared down to Cassandra from his perch on Nightmare’s shoulder, who had just stood there like a silent watcher. “But Shadow always liked you.” 

“Aww, well I like Shadow too.” Cassandra chuckled, continuing to scratch the feline. Shadow began to purr loudly, rubbing their head against her hand. 

“Not now!” Griffon huffed to Shadow. Shadow reached over and squished Griffon with their paw, earning a screech from the demonic avian. “HEY! LET GO OF ME!” Cassandra laughed at that. 

“Shadow, let him go. Of course I’ll take you i-” A sudden rush of darkness, her mental vision clouded with ink, and a warm breath against her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stay still from the sudden onslaught of mental sensations she couldn’t fathom. 

_‘Shadow?’_ She thought before something wet, like a cat’s tongue, licked her face. Black ink seeped into her arms and skin, leaving a slick sensation in their wake, before her eyes opened again.

She was sitting on the floor of the Qliphoth, the cold open air around her. Griffon was sitting across from her, looking as disappointed as a bird could get. And still watching, hovering behind the bird, was Nightmare.

“You know, I thought Nidhogg was the dumbest demon I’ve seen. I’ve been proven wrong.”

“Now that’s just rude.” Cassandra gently scolded. “Shadow’s just eager to be adopted. I’ve seen it before.” She said with a smile. She heard movement and shot up her head, seeing Nightmare shift forward. She quickly stood up, Griffon flying out of the way of the nightmarish golem. 

“Woah woah woah big guy, what are you doing!?” Griffon squawked, flying around the golem as it shuffled towards Cassandra. Cassandra stood her ground, staring down the deep purple orb that was it’s eye. 

“Do you wish to bind or test me?” She said clearly, staring down the golem. It stopped, glancing to Griffon. The bird fluttered in place, blinking in confusion before looking to Cassandra.

“Uh, the big guy says...uh...can you face your own nightmares? If you cannot face them, you cannot have the power to stop history from repeating itself.” Griffon looked to Nightmare before back to Cassandra. 

“Then test me and find out. Me saying yes isn’t gonna convince you, I bet it didn’t convince V when you binded with him.” The golem shifted in place before growing in size.

“Yo, big guy, what are you doing!?” Griffon screamed. “She’s human, you’re gonna squish her like a bug if you grow like that!” Cassandra continued to stare down the growing Nightmare, sensing demonic ichor pooling at her feet. She saw a faint flicker in the purple orb that was it’s eye, a questioning glance to see if she was ready.

She nodded.

Nightmare surged onto her, she heard Griffon screaming out her name, and then silent darkness. 

_There is a demonic presence in your heart, that you have long left dormant. Now face it._

A voice spoke out in her head, warped to the point where she couldn’t ascertain if it was male or female. Perhaps it was Nightmare itself? Or something inside her own mind, the voices of the many she had met in her life? She felt adrift, pulled deeper and deeper into the black, before her feet met what felt like glass. She opened her eyes, only for a blinding light met her vision. Distant cheering began to grow, louder and louder. The sick scent of sage and flowers began to overwhelm her as the light began to clear.

She was at a festival. There were banners everywhere, of stylized suns and yellow roses. People were everywhere, the citizens of Eternis Brillia. They wore tunics and dresses, all of yellow, with a yellow rose on them somewhere. The colors were all too bright, too pastel, too clean. Ticker tape littered the cobblestone streets and the tables, covered with warm pastries and sun-shaped sweets. Cassandra stumbled away from the tables and turned, coming face to face with a grand stage. Shining angelic knights stood in front of the stage, each with stylized heads of doves, lions, tigers, herons, and horses. On the stage were the matriarchs of the families, the great clans of Eternis Brillia, but she couldn’t see their faces, unable to discern who they were under their respective house banners. The seat under the banner of the dove was empty.

But there was one standing in front of the matriarchs was someone she knew too well: Louella Kathryn Faye. 

Garbed in steel blue and gold colors, the young woman standing tall before her wore a ceremonial war-dress, shining metal greaves glimmering cruelly in the sunlight. Her washed out colored walnut-hued hair was decorated with purple ribbons and a golden tiara, it’s solar ornament shining. In her left hand was a longsword, hand-guard decorated with a running horse. In her other hand was a golden orb, depicting the dove, the tiger, the lion, the heron, and the horse. Cassandra noticed black cracks and ooze seeping from the orb. The woman’s cold teal eyes focused on her before her hand. Cassandra could feel the scars of Astra burn and sear in agony.

“The child of darkness is dead!” She said triumphantly, raising up her sword. Cassandra could feel her blood run cold. The knights moved into position, the tune of their hum changing. Louella pointed her sword at Cassandra. “In the name of the light, seize her!” The knights surged forward.

Cassandra ran. 

Darting through the winding cobblestone streets, she could hear people, citizens and knights alike, clamoring to grab her, to take her back to Louella, _to murder her and celebrate_. She couldn’t let that happen.

And so she ran, as fast as her feet could take her. Her heart was pounding in her ears, loudly, each step aching as her body was forced to go beyond its limits. 

But she couldn’t stop, not while the mob of Eternis Brillia, her own people, hungered for her blood. And Louella...the less she spared to think of her, the better. 

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

The scream of a child, a young girl, caught her attention. Cassandra looked up, seeing the sound coming from the Cathedral of Saint Deirdre, the main church of the city. It seemed to loom over her, but she couldn’t stop now. Not while a child was in danger. With the last of her energy, she sprinted to the door, ripped it open, and ran inside, slamming the door shut. She collapsed to the floor, body rattled with exhaustion. It felt like she was going to vomit from how bad she strained her body to run. 

When she opened her eyes, her gauntlets were gone. 

Looking down at herself, the gear she had worn, the armor of Gilgamesh, was all gone. It had been replaced by a wedding gown, a layered tulle gown with roses and doves along the skirt. She could feel the heavy wedding veil on her head, decorated with more of the white roses and doves. She looked up at the altar, at Draco waiting impatiently for her. His blond hair was impeccably styled but the excessive use of hair gel made it look fake. 

Just like this wedding ceremony. The marriage between House Sagefire and House Kinniaird. 

“Cassandra!” A voice hissed. She was hoisted up, coming face to face with her father Nyx. “Get up! This is no way for a bride to behave! Now get up and walk!” She was flung forward, stumbling into a standing position. The exhaustion from running for so long weighed at her limbs. Nyx stormed forward, grabbing her arm again and forcing her to stand. “Do you want to disappoint all the people who came to see this ceremony?” He growled. She looked up, seeing the pews packed to the brim with people. She was pulled around to face her father, fuming at her unwillingness to stand. He raised his hand, getting ready to slap. 

Something in her snapped. She grabbed his hand and threw him down the aisle, towards Draco. Nyx grunted as he rolled on the ground.

“You will not lay...a hand on me.” She growled. “You’re just a nightmare. This is my mind and I can control it how I see fit.” She closed her eyes, trying to focus. Her mind drifted to Nero, to Dante, her family, her true family. Dante’s voice drifted into her head, a conversation years ago. She remembered a client, an acquaintance of Patty’s, and her being awed that Dante was able to gain a contract without directly stating it, in words and hidden meanings. She had asked about it when they were returning to the shop. 

“In the world of devil hunting, the real challenge isn’t hunting devils.” He told her. “It’s knowing when to show restraint and when to fight back in any situation. In order to become an effective devil hunter, you need to have one important weapon always honed and at the ready.”

“Lemme guess, my smarts.”

“Exactly. You’re book smart Cass. We’ll work on the street smarts later.”

“Hey!” He chuckled at her indignation, ruffling her hair playfully. 

“Hey, I know it’s tempting but sometimes you can't throw your fists at everything, Cassandra.” He poked her head. “So trust me when I say this, but one day you’ll eventually use that big brain of yours to cut your enemies down more effectively than your shiny pokey stick. The day you use your brain is the day I, Dante Serafino Sparda, will officially acknowledge you as a permanent devil hunter in the crew.”

_‘The day I use my brain...’_ She opened her eyes. She looked around, to faces marred by the nightmare she was trapped in. It was almost like she was staring at ruined and stained paintings, faces she could not name. Her gaze moved around the cathedral. Despite its pristine condition, draped in white like a lucky bride to be, it still looked like a painting. The glass was clear, golden light pouring into the cathedral. But something was off. A very small detail was off, a detail that she had to find, to focus on. Her gaze rested on the door, the very doors she had burst into to escape the crowd that had hunted her down. 

It was open, just a crack, as if someone was holding it open just to hear and see what was going on inside. 

As Cassandra walked to the door, the dress that her nightmare forced upon her was shedding, as if it was petals falling from a flower. She could feel the familiar leather of her old gear, the metal of Gilgamesh on her back and her limbs. Something was pulling at her mind, a memory that was just out of grasp. The memory of a name, upon the dark grey stone of a tomb, and the voice of her mother. 

_“Leave a flower here too darling.”_

_“Why?”_

_“There is a child here too. She died with her mother.” Her mother’s voice changed, filled with sadness for what was lost. “She would’ve been your friend.”_

“My friend...” Cassandra whispered, standing at the door. “I know who you are. I met you, in a lonely cemetery, overgrown by ivy and morning glories of purple and blue. Why else, when I heard your voice, did I let you in?” She paused. 

“I know who you are, Cordelia Merle Faye.”

The world around them shattered like glass, a strangely familiar sight. Replacing it was a familiar darkness, an infinite void of black. What was once hidden behind a door was a child, not much older than seven if she had to guess. Her dress was a dirty creamy color, ripped by time. Her long hair was black, marred and tangled. She could see bruises, cuts and burns on her skin and struggled to contain the rage at the sight, the signs of abuse by forces she probably couldn’t fight right now. Her feet were bare, save only for a single rusted shackle on her ankle. In her arms was a stuffed version of Nightmare, the very doll that Dante had left behind for her back in the van. Her brown eyes stared at her, showing fear and nervousness. 

_‘My people...the people of Eternis Brillia, they did this to her. They relished the Death of Darkness...and this poor child suffered for it.’_ She thought. She forced herself to relax, anger and hatred would not help the petrified child before her. She knelt down carefully, not moving any closer to her, and placed her hands on her lap. 

“W-Who are you…” Cordelia asked nervously, clutching the stuffed familiar tightly in her thin trembling arms. She swore that the orb-like purple eye on the plush was looking at her intensely.

“I…” She paused. Who was she now? She wasn’t a Sagefire anymore, not after Astra was severed from her. She glanced to her sword hand before looking up to Cordelia. “I’m Cassandra. Cassandra Sparda.” She looked to the stuffed Nightmare. “Did Nightmare tell you about Nero?” Cordelia nodded. “That’s my son. He swears a lot...but he's a good man.”

“I like him, he's nice and honest.” Cassandra smiled at that. 

“I’m sure he’d love to hear that.” 

“Are you going to leave and tell him that?”

“He’s...busy right now.” Cassandra could only imagine what Nero was doing. Hopefully not in the process of skewering the only blood relatives he had. “And even if he wasn’t, I’m not going to leave you behind.” 

“Huh?” She asked in shock. “W-Why, they’ll hate me, just like every other adult does...” Her hands fidgeted with the stuffed Nightmare’s arm

“I don’t hate you. And I doubt Nero will.”

“You should hate me! I'm the child of darkness!” She said loudly before she sniffled a bit. “...a child everyone wanted dead...”

“You were an innocent caught up in some stupid prophecy.” Cassandra said. “The day they celebrated your death...was one of the worst days of my life. I hated every moment of it, because they were celebrating the death of...one of the few true friends I could’ve had.” 

“You never knew me…”

“I think I knew you for the longest time.” She said. She could see the scars of Astra in her mind’s eye. “I just had to have the light severed from me to remember at last.”

“Remember? Remember what a monster I am?”

“No. Remember what cruelties they did to you in death.” 

Cordelia went quiet and snuggled the plush closer to her, sniffling a bit, fidgeting in her spot. After a few moments, she held the Nightmare plush outward to her. “He wants a friend, I think he’ll be ok with you.”

“But what about you?”

“I’ll be ok, I’ve survived this long lonely.”

“No.” Cassandra frowned. “I’m not leaving you behind.” 

“But you need him to be complete in protecting your son!”

“But not at the cost of leaving you behind, Cordelia.” 

“...why do you care? All the light does is hurt and burn me, the darkness keeps me safe...”

“I...I can’t just leave you here alone. I just can’t.” Cassandra whispered, staring at the battered child before her. She held out her armored hand. “I know a lot about being alone. The light’s burned me too.” 

“I don't want to be a burden to you… or anyone…I’ll just slow you down.”

_‘Well, isn’t that a familiar sentiment.’_ Cassandra thought. “Cordelia, you won’t be a burden to me. You’ve done nothing but help me.”

“I… I did?” She asked apprehensively. 

“It was your voice that brought me back to Nero from the Green Havens. You guided me to Dante, even when I didn’t think we’d ever find him. You’ve been more helpful than you realize.” Cassandra explained. Nervously, Cordelia took a few steps forward and gingerly touched the scars on her hand, the other arm still holding Nightmare close. 

“Did Deirdre banish and branded you too for not staying in the light?”

“...I suppose. Astra shattered when I was trying to slay a demon to protect V. I was...killed, I guess? I was unconscious, at the very least. I met Deirdre in the Green Havens...and I chose to return to my family instead of moving on.”

“She… she let you make a choice?”

“I think I only got one because I was her descendant.” 

“...oh.” She looked crestfallen at the answer and pulled her hand away. “...lucky…I want a choice too...”

“You can choose to come with me.” Cassandra offered, trying not to sound so desperate to take Cordelia with her. 

“...I won’t get hurt by the light again?”

“No, you won’t.” Cassandra said affirmatively. She could hardly call herself a child of light anymore, not after everything that happened. “I promise.”

“I’ll be ok now, Nightmare...” She said. With a tired smile, she placed her hand in Cassandra’s and gave it a squeeze. “Time to wake up now, Cassandra...”

And then time itself stopped around her. 

Cassandra doubled over as her whole body was suddenly wracked by pain, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. Her hands squeezed into fists, feeling Nightmare’s very presence seep into her body. The demon seeped into her bones, fiber, her whole being, drowning her in its power as it finalized the contract. She gasped and struggled to breathe as the power settled down.

Despite the agony, there was a sense of joy she couldn’t shake off. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Griffon staring at her. She could feel the magic of Nightmare and Shadow pulsing under her skin, heartbeats now calm like hers...the headache, she could do without. She gasped and wheezed to breath as she struggled to sit up.

_‘Are you proud of me, Dante? I used my brain for once.’_ Cassandra thought, grinning despite the massive headache she was currently suffering through from the binding. Even with the headache, she couldn’t feel any happier if she tried. She watched Griffon take a familiar cane into his talons and bring the cane to her. 

“You sure you can handle Vergil?” He asked, his tone serious. “Vergil’s hurt a lot of people while he was on that big power trip. Even whole, he could do it agai-”

“He won’t. I know he won’t.” Griffon blinked at her confidence.

“You sure?”

“I know so. He’s got Nero. Now that Nero knows he has family, he won’t lose them again. Not to anyone or anything.” She explained as she sat up. “He was an orphan, you know. Family is special to him. And if Nero can’t do it, then I will. With my bare hands, if I have too.” Griffon listened to her silently before sighing.

“You got me there, I’m not gonna lie.” He said, setting the cane in her hand. “You got yourself a contract, Rapunzel.” His body merged with Cassandra’s, lightning seeming to dance in her veins. Lifting up her sleeve, she could see the ink of the markings of their contract on her skin. They were all together, in a new host. She regarded the silvery cane quietly before using it to stand. 

“It’s done…” She murmured. The demon armor of Gilgamesh shifted to accommodate the far slimmer cane, giving it a place on her waist. “Now to find Dan-”

“ **_FUCK YOU!_ **” A roar of defiance split the air. Cassandra whipped around, upward, her breath caught in her throat.

“Nero! NERO I’M COMING!” She yelled, quickly sheathing the cane. She dashed across the dry ground of the Qliphoth, given new energy from the demonic familiars now in her. She had to catch up to Nero, before something terrible happened, something that they all could regret.


	19. What Remains

_ June 15 04:46pm _

Cassandra’s only thought was of Nero, of either aiding him in making the two brothers stop fighting each other or stop him from killing them himself. The Qliphoth rumbled and shook around her as she ran, using Griffon to leap to farther-away platforms. She had to get to them, to save them or stop them, whatever had to be done. 

Anything she could do to stop them from ending their lives, she would do. 

When she finally clamored onto the largest platform she had seen up to this point, she saw Vergil standing across from Nero. The lack of Dante made her heart race with worry. What happened to him? Did he fall? Did Nero fight Vergil all on his own? As she raced to the two, her eyes met Vergil’s. For a moment, she swore she saw guilt in his eyes before he jumped off the edge.

“VERGIL!” She yelled, rushing past Nero to the other side of the platform. She watched as he transformed into what she presumed was Devil Trigger. She looked to Nero, panting heavily. “Nero, what happened!?” 

“Those idiots tried to kill each other and I stopped them. They’re not gonna kill each other, not anymore.” Nero replied, looking over the edge of the platform. She looked to Nero, noticing his newly restored arm, before back to the world far below. “Mom...what do we do now?” 

“We hold the fort. I presume that the two are going to take care of things in the underworld, right?” Nero let out a noise of agreement, choked by sorrow. She looked to him and sighed. “Nero…” Nero looked up as Cassandra held open her arms, a silent invitation for a hug. Nero stood there for a few moments before he hugged her tightly, burying his face into her shoulder as he began to cry. She watched as a pair of spectral wings, as blue as the sky above them, flared out and wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her son’s shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze.

_ ‘I’m gonna miss them too. Even if I only knew Vergil for a week and never truly knew Dante like I thought I did…’ _ She thought, her hand stroking Nero’s hair.  _ ‘I hope they come back soon…’ _

* * *

_ July 24th 09:24pm _

“Wow, still no sign of him. Nothing.” Lady commented as she took a bite of pizza, leaning back on the couch. 

“Mmm... yeah.” Trish nodded in agreement from her place on the desk. 

“A whole-ass month and you’re already getting antsy about his return.” Cassandra commented from behind the desk, her jacket hanging from a coat-hanger at the door. “You sure it ain’t about Kalina Ann Mark II?” 

“Don’t even start with me.”

“I know, I know!” Cassandra held up her hands. Griffon snickered from his place on the back of the chair. “I should be grateful enough that you were nice enough to make sure the payment from the Ouroboros job wasn’t counterfeit. We shouldn’t have bill issues for a few months...after the repairs are done.” The shop, while mostly unscathed when it came to the foundation, still suffered from aesthetic damage that needed to be taken care of. Cassandra watched as Shadow walked to the pizza box sitting next to Trish and got on the desk, quickly taking the last slice of pizza and running off. Trish let out a sigh.

“Cassandra, control your demon cat!” 

“Look, I don’t control Shadow unless it’s time to fight.” Cassandra pointed out, leaning back in the chair. “You two know this.” 

“Anyways.” Lady hummed, with a familiar sparkle in her eyes that Cassandra knew all too well. She slid off the couch and meandered around the lower level of the shop, eying everything. “I was thinking of having his office. Because I'm thinking it's almost time for me to settle down somewhere.” Trish got off the desk and walked over to Lady.

“No, I don't think so. I rather quite like it.” Trish said as she swiped the pizza out of Lady’s hands. Cassandra rolled her eyes as the two made a show of a chase before stopping at the sound of the door opening. 

“Oh I hate to spoil your dreams ladies. But that shit ain't gonna happen.” Morrison walked in, his tone almost condescendingly prideful.

“Whattaya mean, Morrison?” Lady asked, her and Trish eyeing the paper in Morrison’s hand. 

“See, there's this deed to this place, and I have it.” He rounded around the desk, leaning against the chair with Griffon. Griffon leaned over his shoulder, eyeing the deed mischievously. 

“Why do you-?” 

“Clever little devil came to see me right before his last job. Said something like: "My dearest friend, I know you'll keep this place safe, 'cause them crazy bitches--" Trish pointed to Lady, only for Lady to smack her hand down. “Did I say crazy bitches? Sorry I meant ladies.” Morrison laughed, sliding the deed into his coat. “Anyway, the rest of the story is not important, but you get the gist.” Lady let out a sigh, leaning against the desk.

“I wonder if he ever plans to come back.” She asked. 

“You got me there.” Cassandra murmured. 

“What is important is that I got a job for you two” Morrison pointed to Lady and Trish, pulling out a second envelope. “cause the rent ain't free.”

“We might be fine on the bills now, but that money’s gonna run out.” Cassandra said. Lady and Trish let out a sigh. “Go on, me and my pets will hold the fort while you two be beautiful badasses.” 

“Pets!?” Griffon squawked. “We’re not pets, we’re just as badass-”

“Yeah yeah, alright.” Cassandra waved her hand. “We’ll be here with the victory pizza when you come back. I promise.”

“Provided Shadow doesn’t eat it all.” Trish laughed. Morrison handed Lady the envelope with the job in it. 

“We’ll be back before you know it Cass! Come on Trish!” Lady called Trish and she went to the door. Trish smiled and gently scoffed. She opened the door and the two ladies left, getting on their motorcycles and riding off. Cassandra let out a sigh and closed the empty pizza box, taking it to the trash can. 

“And alone again.” Morrison said. “Sorry, didn’t have anything for you.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Cassandra said as she stuffed the empty box into the trash can. “It’s something I’ve grown used to. And I’m not alone, not really.” She looked to Griffon and Shadow, who had taken her seat. 

“Didn’t think you’d adopt a kid. Even if she’s a...ghost kid, is that right?”

“Yep. Her name is Cordelia.” Cassandra settled her hand on her head, able to sense the child nearby. She looked to the opposite couch, seeing Cordelia snuggled up to a plush Nightmare. “She’s on that couch.” Morrison looked over and let out a hum.

“I saw her when I came back from Fortuna. Peeking around the kitchen door, if I remember correctly.”

“Sounds about right for her. She’s sweet but terribly shy. Not that I can blame her, given what...my people did to her.” Cassandra tensed up, squeezing her eyes shut. As much as she wasn’t sure what was her own personal memories, what was Cordelia’s, or what was conjured by Nightmare to test her, the trial of Nightmare was not something she looked fondly back on. “What do you know about Eternis Brillia, if I may ask?”

“Isolated city far up north. You’re from there, and I know that the newest head of power was Lady Louella Faye.” Cassandra let out a soft hum. “Not much more than that.” 

“Not much more? Or rather, you didn’t dig deep enough.”

“I'm not the kind of man to dredge up a friend's past just to sate my own curiosity.” Morrison said, pulling out a cigar and lit it. He watched as Shadow jumped off the chair and walked over to the couch. After a moment, Shadow left the room. “Did Shadow take Cordelia to bed?”

“Yep. Shadow does that.” Cassandra said, rubbing her arms. “I guess Shadow knew it was serious discussion time.” She looked to her hands. The scars of Astra had healed but it didn’t look much better. Along her arms were the black tattoos of her contracts, of Griffon, Shadow, and Nightmare. She slowly wrapped her arms around herself. “Kinda wonder how they’d see me now. I bet they see me as a disgrace.”

“What about yourself?” Morrison asked. 

“Me? Hm. A mom, for starters. To Nero and Patty. A devil hunter, to the crew-”

“Not what I was talking about. How do  _ you _ see yourself?” Cassandra paused, returning her gaze to her hands, her inked arms.

“A Sparda. I might not be one by blood, but I’m not a Sagefire anymore. And I did use my head, can’t wait to tell Dante that.” She smirked before looking up the stairs. “Hold that thought.” She said, quickly running up the stairs. She went into her room, taking care not to awaken the sleeping Cordelia in her beanbag bed, and opened the closet. The closet held changes of clothes, a couple dresses that she used as disguises in the past. But what she was looking for specifically was a small box, wrapped in the plastic of a trash bag. She knelt down and let out a soft ‘ahah!’, finding the box in a corner. She grabbed it and stood, closing the closet door. Quickly stepping out of her room, she went downstairs and set the box on the desk, the harsh sound making Griffon jump. 

“The fuck is that?!”

“Something I’ve kept for too long.” Cassandra said. “I always said to myself to keep it around, just in case Dante really fucked up and needed a lot of cash. I guess I wanted to keep something of home, a reason to never go back. But I have better reasons now.” She looked up to the bedroom, where Cordelia slumbered away. She returned her gaze to the small box and ripped open the plastic off it. She slid the box to Morrison, who caught it and opened up the box.

“A wedding ring?”

“Yep. A gaudy ass piece of gemstones and precious metals. Take it. Sell it. You probably have connections to people who want gaudy jewelry.” He laughed at her curtness, closing the box and sliding it in his coat pocket.

“You know the rules-”

“I do. I don’t care. I just want it gone and whatever you can get for it, after your cut.” 

“What makes this ring so special that you kept it for twenty-odd years, only to throw it my way?” Morrison asked. Cassandra let out a sigh.

“Long ago, my father...forced me to marry my childhood bully, Draco Kinnaird.” She said. “After the marriage, the funds he took for his lavish parties ended up killing my mother. Or at least contributed to her death. I took the ring and all the bank paperwork with me out of the city. I drained Draco's account dry to support myself. I always intended to sell the ring, in case something happened to my work. Then I found Dante...or Dante found me, I guess.”

“And that started your working relationship.” Morrison hummed. “And you kept the ring around, for all these years, for that rainy day.”

“It may not be a rainy day Morrison but keeping that ring around is doing nothing for me. It’s the last part of me that’s still a Sagefire, still a daughter of the Earthfaith. I may still hold faith to the Earthmother but not as a Sagefire. Not anymore.” She let out a heavy sigh, like a weight had been lifted off her chest. 

“Feel better?”

“Loads.” She looked up at the ceiling. “This whole ‘bear your heart’ stuff works fucking wonders.” Morrison laughed and stood up. 

“Well, that’ll be all from me. You have a good night, Sparda.” She smiled as she watched Morrison step out of Devil May Cry. She looked over to Griffon, holding out her arm. He flew over, settling down on her outstretched arm.

“Didn’t know you carried that baggage for that long.” He mused.

“We all have baggage from our past. Some heavier than others.” Cassandra said, walking over to the lightswitch to turn off the lights. “Some people let it go eventually. Others keep it for their lives. But it’s our baggage to bear.” She went up the stairs, feeling Griffon seep back into her skin. Opening the bedroom door, she saw Cordelia standing at the open window, the plush doll of Nightmare in her arms. “Cordelia. Can I come into your space?” Cordelia looked up, seeing here standing in the doorway.

She nodded as she continued to stare out the window. Cassandra slowly walked to her, sitting down on the bed just across from her. She looked out the window to the night sky, the galaxies of the heavens shimmering brightly above them. “Despite everything that’s happened...Red Grave City looks beautiful at night.” 

“Mmhm.” Cordelia nodded. “It wasn’t like this before, was it?”

“No. The lights choked out the stars. But now that Red Grave is rebuilding, there’s not as much light pollution as there used to be, so everyone can see the stars clearly.” Cassandra explained. 

“I don't know what stars are…”

“Well...according to scientists, they’re very far-away balls of gas and dust, clumped together to create light we can see. They’re miles and miles away, farther than we can comprehend. But to the storytellers, the stars are the bearers of our hopes and dreams.” 

“Hopes and dreams?” The confusion in her voice hurt Cassandra. 

“Yes. Children wish upon the stars, wanting something. Some wish for selfish things, like ponies under the tree upon the morning of the Festival of Lights. The poets of the world have connected the stars to hopes and dreams, pinned by the gods of their time to shine for all to see.” Cassandra explained. “They hoped for miracles upon the very stars we see. The sailors were guided by them, in hopes of finding their way across the oceans, the great bodies of water with no mountains or landmarks in sight. And the lovers wished upon the stars the hope of a happy marriage, of being with their beloved for all their days.” 

“What do parents wish for?”

“I…” Cassandra frowned. “I can only speak for myself for that question, Cordelia. But I’ve often wished that Nero found his family, his blood family. I wished that Dante would finally tell Nero the dark truth about what happened, to let Nero decide if he wanted to stay with Dante or not and not have Dante decide that for him. I wished that Nero made a family of his own, with Kyrie. Those two are perfect for each other.” She smiled. “And Patty...I wished for her to grow up no longer harried by demons, to grow up as a normal everyday girl, like she should be. A legacy she had never asked was thrust upon her before she was even aware of it, leading her to danger at an early age.” She remembered the night that Abigail returned, the demon that had, at first, disguised itself as a weak scrap of humanity, only to reveal itself as one of the demon princes of the Underworld, next to Mundus. Abigail abused Patty’s desire to find and reunite with her mother for their own wicked ends. It was a miracle that Dante slew the demon prince at all, given his disappearance into the Underworld briefly-”

The Nightmare plush had hit her face lightly and Cordelia pulled it back into her arms. Cassandra blinked, now back in reality, in the darkness of her bedroom.

“Patty was very loud. I didn't like her.”

“Understandable. Patty is...boisterous, to say the least. But she is my daughter, much like Nero is my son.” 

“What am I… then?” She asked, fidgeting with the Nightmare plush nervously.

“My friend, Cordelia. Our relationship isn’t like how I relate to Patty and Nero. It’s...different. Deeper than that.” 

Cordelia made a soft ‘oh’ and looked back at the city. Cassandra felt something buzz in the back of her mind, like an oncoming electrical storm.

_ ‘And I thought I was the tactless one!’ _ Griffon squawked in her head.  _ ‘She’s a kid, numbnut! And you’re her mom, so act like it!’ _

_ ‘Ok ok! Stop that, it’s hurting my head!’ _ Cassandra scolded. Griffon flew out of her skin and fluttered onto Cordelia’s shoulder. Cordelia looked over at Griffon, tilting her head in confusion, unphased by the sudden demonic bird on her shoulder.

“Griffon?”

“Oh don’t mind me, your local bird uncle’s being comforting while a certain dumbass is acting rather rude-”

“Language, Griffon.” Cassandra scolded. Griffon laughed at her. 

“I have an uncle now?” She perked up in shock.

“Yep! Riiiiight,  _ mom _ ?” Griffon leaned towards Cassandra, smug pride dripping from every syllable. Cassandra let out a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, technically you’re her uncle, Griffon. What does that make Shadow?”

“Part of Cordelia’s entourage of aunts.” Griffon said smugly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Once Cordelia’s ready to manifest in front of crazy bazooka Lady, the demon chick Trish and the crew, then she’s gonna be spoiled soooo much!” 

“I… you… you care about me?” She asked all teary eyed, her lower lip trembling and her voice cracking.

“What made you think we didn’t?” Griffon asked. “I mean, I was pretty tactless that one time, but I got better!” He puffed out his chest pridefully at that. Cordelia sniffled and rubbed her face. 

“N-no adult liked me before…” At the sound of her sniffling, Shadow leapt up from the shadows and walked over to her, gently licking her face and purring. Cordelia squeaked and fussed a bit before slowly petting Shadow. “Auntie Shadow?” Shadow only purred louder, nuzzling the child. “I… I’ve never had a family before.” She whimpered, voice soft from trying not to cry.

“Well, we’re your family now! Right?” Griffon once again rounded on Cassandra, staring her down with intense yellow eyes. Shadow looked over intensely too, even in the back of her mind, Nightmare was staring her down with his single eye.

“Right.” Cassandra looked to the clock. “I believe it’s time for me to go to bed.” 

“Ok… I don't wanna sleep.” She sniffled, petting Griffon behind his horn. The demonic bird began to figuratively melt at the right spot being scritched.

“Why not?” Cassandra asked, tilting her head a little. 

“Not sleepy.” She said, trying not to yawn. Cassandra chuckled and got up from the bed.

“Wellll...how about I sing to you for a little bit?” She asked. 

"Sing?" She asked in confusion. She settled on her beanbag bed with Griffon in her lap and Shadow curling up behind her.

“Mmhm. A lullaby Dante taught me from his mother. Her old music box is still in his room. I can go get it for you, if you’d like.” 

"What's a music box?" Cordelia asked.

“...mm, it’s a box that plays music. Let me get the box and I’ll show you.” She stood up from her bed and walked out of the bedroom, going to Dante’s room. It had remained untouched since she slept in his bed, only about a month ago. She had been in his room enough in the past to know where he kept things, especially things that were precious to him. Even still, his room remained a chaotic tempest of clothes, sheets, pillows and boxes, just like Dante himself. She walked to the room’s closet and opened it, kneeling down to pull out a rather old and untouched box. Opening it, she found the music box she was looking for, along with old books galore. 

If she had to guess, they were from the Sparda Manor. She had gone back to revisit the place but very little remained. At the very least, she managed to save the large portrait that hung above the fireplace. Even though there was not much of a place in Devil May Cry for the giant portrait aside from the basement, covered by tarp, she still had plans to get it restored for Nero’s sake. Dante and Vergil, however little they remembered, still had memories of their parents but Nero had no idea what his grandparents looked like. This was the closest he would ever get to see them.

Cassandra shook the thoughts out of her head. That would come later. For now, Cordelia needed her attention. She slid the box back into place and took the music box to her room. She set the music box on the side table, gently brushing the dust off the dark wood. She was impressed that it had avoided the brunt of the flames, the golden mother-of-pearl rose engraved in the wood untouched by fire damage.

"It makes music?” Cordelia asked, getting off her beanbag bed to get a closer look at the music box. Shadow followed after her, sitting down next to her, Griffon perched on her shoulder still.

“It does. But it has to be wound up first.” Cassandra carefully took the box and began to twist the little knob on the bottom of the box, the sound of it being wound up clicking in the room. “Once you can’t wind it up any more, you set it down and open it.” She explained, setting down the box. She opened it. A nostalgic tune began to play in the room. She closed her eyes and began to sing, the words coming to her easily, just as Dante taught her. 

_ In the field so green and so free, seeds gaze up. _

_ The clouds keeps them from the light, _

_ And the sky cries white tears of snow. _

_ But still, the fragile seeds wait long for the sun to shine _

_ Dark winter away, come spring. _

_ My young seeds once again will look up to the sky, _

_ And I know they will grow strong. _

_ My young seeds once again will look up to the sky, _

_ And I know they will grow strong. _

Cordelia was partly flopped onto Shadow afterward, snoring softly as she clung to the Nightmare plush still. Cassandra looked over to her and smiled, gently standing up and pulling Cordelia into her arms. She carefully laid Cordelia on her chest, making sure the plush was still in her arms, and giving Cordelia ample ways to escape if she got uncomfortable. Shadow curled up on Cassandra’s left, purring loudly. Griffon settled himself on the pillow next to Cassandra’s head, tucking his head under his wing. Cassandra carefully leaned forward, kissing Cordelia’s head.

“Goodnight, my little blackbird.” 


	20. Epilogue: The Edge of Dawn

_ December 25th, 06:22am _

Snow fell softly outside the windows of Devil May Cry. The shop was dark, save for a single lit candle on the bar, a gift from Kyrie. The scent of baked cookies and hot chocolate, fresh from the oven, wafted through the shop. Against the wall under the stairs was shelving covered in sparkly tinsel, the best she could for a tree, sitting where Dante’s speakers used to be. She still remembered coming downstairs, watching as Dante taught Nero the guitar. The smaller speakers were moved to the recently renovated spare bedroom, for Nero, while the largest one was moved to the basement. In the shelving that took their place were presents, one for each of the crew. 

Even one for Dante and Vergil, despite them not being able to come this year. 

Cassandra let out a sigh and took a slow drink of her warm tea. Nero had come and gone during the previous day, Christmas Eve, with the intent of turning that recently renovated spare bedroom into a place to crash when he was in Red Grave City. Nero had just finished the last of the move and had left thirty minutes ago to find snacks and retrieve a package from the post office. The dawn was coming, she could see the faint pink hues in the sky. She began to sing softly the familiar song Auld Lang Syne into the empty shop.

_ Should auld acquaintance be forgot, _

_ and never brought to mind? _

_ Should auld acquaintance be forgot, _

_ and auld lang syne? _

“What’s got you so glum?” Griffon asked, manifesting on her shoulder. He had a Christmas wreath on his head, a handmade gift from Cordelia. “It’s fucking Christmas!” 

“Dante loved Christmas.” Cassandra explained. “It was his favorite holiday, the few times I rarely saw him with a frown.” 

“You think he’s not coming back?” Griffon asked.

“He hasn’t come back yet. I mean, I know his last trip to the Underworld took two or three years, if what Lucia said is true, so I’m trying to keep the hope alive.” She took another sip of tea. “And he has his brother. Perhaps he’s getting done right now and is making his way home.” 

“Expectations, lightspark.” Griffon hummed, bopping her head with his beak. 

“I know, I need to rein them in.” She sighed. “I just...I have hopes that he’ll come back home on Christmas. I’d be sad if he didn’t but...you know, I’d understand. If I was trapped in the Underworld, it’d take me awhile to find my way out.” 

“Provided you weren’t eaten.”

“Provided I’m not eaten.” Cassandra echoed, drinking up her tea with a sigh. “But I’m not Dante and he is not me. He can get out of the Underworld. I just want it to be soon.” Griffon jumped off her shoulder and hopped to the shelf.

“So, a Christmas shelf, huh? Why no tree?”

“No room. The shelf takes as little room as possible because it’s under the stairs. Patty and I may have spent multiple days getting this office clean but that still doesn’t change the fact that this place doesn’t have a lot of square footage.” She looked upstairs. “Besides, the table and chairs upstairs make a nice reading nook.”

“I always wondered what was up there before you put that reading nook. It was empty when V first came-”

“It was a stripper pole.” Cassandra said dryly. Griffon let out a choked wheeze, something between laughter and surprise.

“WHAT!? You’re kidding right?”

“Nope. When I came in here for the first time, twenty-odd years ago, there was a stripper pole up there.” Griffon stared up at the overlook, wide-eyed. 

“I like what you did better. Seriously, a fucking stripper p-” Cassandra immediately sensed a familiar presence.

“Griffon, language.”

“...oh yeah, Cordelia.” Griffon sighed. Cordelia poked her head in and hummed curiously, with a small head tilt. As she entered the room, she bonked her head on the edge of the desk. She spat angrily in another language, which caused Griffon to laugh hysterically as the child pouted angrily and sat on the couch. Cassandra blinked in confusion.

“Griffon…”

“Kid! Where’d you learn that?”

“Uncle Nero and Dante. They said it first!”

Griffon wheezed in laughter still. “S-She cursed in demonic! D-Do you want me to translate?”

“...sure.”

“God fucking damn asshole piece of shit… Hey that’s what she said not me!” Griffon flared out his wings, as if trying to hold up a pair of symbolic hands and washing himself clean of the sin of teaching her how to swear. Cassandra let out a sigh and ran her hands through her hair.

“Alright, guess I’ll go scold Nero and Dante about it when they both come back.” She looked back out the window. “The sun’s rising…” She murmured, passing a glance to the door. After a few minutes of watching, she let out a sigh. “I’m going to bed. Come along Griffon.” She mentally summoned him back into her skin, ignoring his surprised squawk. She headed up the stairs and turned, not into her room, but into Dante’s room. 

Just as she remembered, it was still that chaotic tempest of clothes and boxes. She laid down on the mattress, clinging tight onto a pillow. She closed her eyes, silently wishing for the twins to come home. If not for her peace of mind, then for Nero’s future happiness. After Nero gave the two a scolding of a lifetime for abandoning again. Cassandra let out a soft huff of a laugh at the thought of two hardened devil hunters cowed by their younger family member before drifting off into slumber. As she drifted, she swore she heard the door opening, Nero’s return perhaps? But Griffon nor Shadow raised a fuss, so she slipped into slumber. 

\---

Cassandra didn’t know how long she had slept, only that she was awoken by a very angry Nero, if the sound of his yelling was anything to go by. 

“Alright alright Nero, who the fuck is causing problems now?” She grumbled as she got up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Is it the pizza guy? I swore I paid Dante’s tab a month ago-”

“You paid for my pizza tab? Sweet!” A strikingly familiar voice snapped her out of her drowsiness. She whipped around, seeing Dante sitting up in his bed, clean and not covered in demon gore like she expected. His hair had grown slightly longer, the beard had gotten scruffier, but it was  _ him _ . “Oh hey, you got some new ink-”

She promptly grabbed the pillow she had been holding onto for however long she had been napping and whapped him with it, earning a shriek from Dante.

“YOU FUCKER! YOU LEFT ME AND NERO ALONE ON THE TOP OF THE QLIPHOTH AND THE CREW TO DEAL WITH THE MESS OF YOU LEAVING US!” She yelled. “And the less I talk about Lady getting pissed at you, the better. She’s still mad you took her bazooka.” 

“Well, good thing you don’t need to get her anything for Christmas-”

“Oh no, I’m taking back your present, you dick.” Cassandra huffed. Dante pouted.

“Caaasss…”

“Not until you apologize to Nero- wait where’s Nero? And where’s your brother?” 

“Uhh...Downstairs. Both of them.” Cassandra quickly got out of bed, leaving Dante sitting there recovering from assault via pillow. Quickly exiting the bedroom, she looked over the edge of the overlook, seeing Vergil holding a brightly wrapped blue and gold present, his present. It had his name on the tag, after all. Leaning against the stair were two Kalina Anns, the signature original rocket launcher and a clone, most likely made by Nico’s hands. They had a ribbon sloppily wrapped around the two, a tag on it that most likely had Lady’s name on it. 

_ ‘Well, that’ll make Lady happy at least.’ _ Cassandra thought as Vergil looked up. He quickly put the present back in it’s shelf, as if he was a child caught with a cookie before dinner. 

“Cassandra, I-”

“You can open it, you know. It’s your present.”

“A present for me? I do not deserve such gifts.” She rolled her eyes.

“It’s fucking Christmas, everyone gets a gift. Even Dante.” She looked back to the bedroom door, watching as he stepped out with a grin as if he hadn’t been pummeled by a pillow. “Although Dante’s cruising to have his gift returned.”

“Aww, come on!” Dante whined. 

“You kept the truth from Nero for seven years, Dante!” Cassandra snapped. “I will take the guilt in not giving out the truth myself but you started it.” She poked his face.

“Ok, ok!” He leaned over the railway, seeing the shining present for Vergil. “Aww, you got Verge a present too!”

“...why wouldn’t I?” Cassandra asked. “He’s your brother, of course I’d get him a present! And only after he opens his present can you open yours.” Dante let out a whine at that. Vergil glanced to the present in the shelf before taking it slowly, methodically opening the present up. In his hand, when the wrapping paper was pulled away, was a journal of dark brown leather. Etched on the leather was the outline of roses, one light blue, one deep blue, one a deep red, another a vibrant red, and one white. In the middle was part of a poem of William Blake.

_ For Mercy has a human heart _

_ Pity, a human face; _

_ And Love, the human form divine; _

_ And Peace, the human dress. _

A shining silver pen was attached to the journal, ready for immediate use. Vergil looked up to Cassandra, to the journal, and then back to her.

“Thank you.” He said, nodding to her. His eyes glanced up and down her inked arms, the gears turning in his head. Dante looked to his brother, to Cassandra’s arms, and then back to Vergil before it seemed to click in his head. 

“You kept the chicken, didn’t you?”

“Chicken!?” Griffon burst from her shoulder, making her wince. “I’ll show you who’s a fucking chick-”

“Language, boys!” Cassandra snapped. “Cord- mmph!” Vergil raised an eyebrow at the mention of Cordelia and glanced to Dante.

“Cordelia’s the spirit of a kid that Cass knew long ago. She’s not a threat, despite her demonic aura, she’s got a human soul like me, you and Nero. Got it?” Dante’s tone was serious, the devil hunter leaning forward a little. Vergil’s gaze on his twin was steady as Dante explained the spirit before he nodded.

“Very well.” He nodded. Cassandra let out a grumble and bit his hand.

“Oof, kinky.”

“Dante!” Cassandra snapped. “Not in her presence!” Dante held up his hands with a grin before running down the stairs to the shelves. 

“Hey, where’d you put my big speaker?”

“The basement, dummy! Took five guys to move it down there!” Cassandra yelled. “If you want to jam out, you can go down there yourself! The smaller ones are Nero’s now, by the way.” 

“Speakers…?” Vergil glanced to Nero in confusion. 

“I’ll explain another time.” He said as he stepped back. Vergil did the same, Dante sprinting over to the shelf to grab his present excitedly. He ripped open the packing to reveal a scarlet knit scarf. “Cool!” He quickly wrapped it around his neck. “How do I look?”

“Cozy.” Cassandra said as she walked down the stairs, reaching up to pet Griffon. The familiar let out a soft coo as he was petted, his amber eyes watching Dante with his best attempt at a grin. Rounding around the banister, she noticed the package on the desk. Nero followed her gaze before going into the desk to grab a pair of scissors. He handed them to her. Cassandra mentally called Griffon back to her skin, ignoring his surprise. 

“It’s a gift from me and Kyrie. She worked hard on this.” Nero explained. “I-I helped!” Cassandra hummed as she took the scissors and opened up the box. Pushing aside the paper, she stared at the contents of the box.

Inside the box was a dress, one similar to what she wore for battle. Instead of white and gold, it was purple and silver. It was a sleeveless dress, to better show off the marks of the familiars. Underneath the skirt was capris and boots, perhaps made with the help of a bootmaker or someone of that craft. She turned to Nero and hugged him. 

“I love it.” She murmured, giving him a squeeze. Nero hugged her back. “Make sure you tell Kyrie I loved it.”

“Of course.” Nero nodded. Cassandra pulled back and closed the box.

“Next job, I’ll show this off. I promise.” She said. She looked to the clock. “Huh, it’s lunch. Hey Nero, can you get to baking the turkey? It’s lunchtime and-” She looked to Dante. “We are not having pizza for Christmas lunch. Or dinner, for that matter. We’re having a proper turkey.” 

“...ok, yeah that’s fine.” Dante held up his hands and meandered to the kitchen. Nero pulled away from Cassandra and went after him, saying something along the lines of ‘keeping an eye on you Dante!’ as he went. She looked to Vergil, quietly standing there in the office with him as the sounds of things being pulled out of pantries and the refrigerator and freezer echoed from the kitchen. 

“Why did you take in my nightmares?” Vergil asked softly. Cassandra looked to her arms.

“...I was trying to get up the Qliphoth, after you were reunified. I was trying to stop Dante from ending his own life and yours at the same time. Along the way, I found your nightmares, waiting to throw themselves in front of Dante and force him to end them. I wanted to stop more blood from being shed so...they tested me. To see if I was worthy to bear them. If not, they would find Dante and die to him.” She closed her eyes. “Shadow and Griffon were the easiest, but I think they both liked me already. But Nightmare...ah, Nightmare truly through me through a loop.” Vergil raised an eyebrow. “Nightmare made me face the worst days of my life, my own personal trauma...and in the darkness, I found Cordelia.”

“The spirit?”

“Yes. My hometown, Eternis Brillia...it would not surprise me if foul play was involved in her death. The fervor of the festival they held, it was as if this ‘child of darkness’ was a grand evil that threatened to destroy the world, like the ancient Argosax.” Cassandra sighed. “But she was a child. My only friend, ripped from me by forces we could not comprehend.” Vergil’s eyes moved to her scarred hand. 

“Astra shattered.”

“Yeah, Astra shattered after protecting V. When I awoke, I heard her voice welcoming me to ‘the darkness’. She guided me to Dante and was there when Nightmare tested me. Your nightmares are quite fond of her, actually.” 

“I never wanted to burden you with them-”

“I knew what I was getting into when they bound themselves to me.” Cassandra interrupted him. “I said yes to the deal, they said yes to the deal, so here we are. The contract between us was my choice to make. Your nightmares are now my own, and I am stronger for it.” Vergil stared at her, his eyes wandering up and down her tattooed arms. 

“Very well. I know that nothing I can say will deter you from keeping them.” Vergil looked to the kitchen, where the sounds quickly changed to Nero scolding Dante and keeping him from sampling the turkey. Cassandra smiled at the sound. 

“Nothing’s changed between them.” She said. Vergil closed his eyes and nodded.

“Nothing at all.” Cassandra walked to the kitchen door, pausing to look at Vergil.

“Hey, wanna make sure Dante doesn't get tossed out the window by Nero?” Cassandra asked. Vergil nodded and Cassandra entered the kitchen, sensing Vergil following behind her. She entered a scenario where Nero’s spectral wings were busy keeping Dante at bay from the pot of hearty turkey broth, the scent of cooking turkey wafting through the air. She felt Griffon manifest on her shoulder and land near the pot.

“Hey, that's a mighty fine bird to cook ...wait…” He narrowed his eyes at Cassandra. “You sure that wasn't my cousin?” He cackled.

“Nah, if it was, it wouldn’t be in the oven cooking.” Cassandra said, walking over to Dante to help Nero keep him at bay. She noticed Shadow trotting in past Vergil, Cordelia clinging onto Shadow’s back. Cassandra smiled at Cordelia’s new clothes, her gift to her. The child, no longer the bruised and battered child when they first met, now wore a red dress that went past her knees and a dark blue jacket that looked similar to Nero’s jacket, with black leggings and cute boots from Trish and Lady respectively. If one passed a glance to her, Cordelia would look like a normal six year old child. The sight of Cordelia quickly caught Dante’s attention, the older hunter pulling away from Nero to kneel down in front of the panther. 

“Hey kid.” He said with a smile. “Cute gear, I'm jealous of your new threads.” Cordelia paused and Dante gestured for her to twirl, which she did. “Totally jealous. But I don't think it’ll fit me.” He chuckled as she went over and nervously touched his cheek. “Yeah, I'm real, kiddo. I’m back.” After a few moments, she clung to him tightly, whimpering sadly as he hugged her back just as tight. “I missed you too, kiddo.” Cassandra smiled as she watched. 

“Now come on, let’s cook, I'm starving!” Dante chimed in as he let Cordelia climb onto his shoulders as he went over to steal a strawberry.

“Oi you’re not eating the whole dinner or dessert!” Nero huffed and gestured for Cass to come help him out. Cassandra laughed and walked over to Dante.

“He’s right, you’re not gonna get a Christmas pizza if I have anything to say about it!” She moved between Dante and Nero, helping her son with the broth and keeping Dante away from the food. “Vergil, you’re not just gonna stand there and mope!” She called. Vergil blinked, surprised at being called out, before stepping forward to do what he could to help. 

Cassandra had to admit, it was good to have them all home, with a warm dinner to soothe their battle-weary hearts. This was her family, all she ever really wanted, and she could only hope that they would not be separated again. 


End file.
